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Treakle T, Epanchin-Niell R, Iacona GD. Factors associated with preemptive conservation under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2023; 37:e14104. [PMID: 37185993 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, there has been an increasing emphasis on proactive efforts to conserve species being considered for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) before they are listed (i.e., preemptive conservation). These efforts, which depend on voluntary actions by public and private land managers across the species' range, aim to conserve species while avoiding regulatory costs associated with ESA listing. We collected data for a set of social, economic, environmental, and institutional factors that we hypothesized would influence voluntary decisions to promote or inhibit preemptive conservation of species under consideration for ESA listing. We used logistic regression to estimate the association of these factors with preemptive conservation outcomes based on data for a set of species that entered the ESA listing process and were either officially listed (n = 314) or preemptively conserved (n = 73) from 1996 to 2018. Factors significantly associated with precluded listing due to preemptive conservation included high baseline conservation status, low proportion of private land across the species' range, small total range size, exposure to specific types of threats, and species' range extending over several states. These results highlight strategies that can help improve conservation outcomes, such as allocating resources for imperiled species earlier in the listing process, addressing specific threats, and expanding incentives and coordination mechanisms for conservation on private lands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler Treakle
- Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C., USA
- ASU School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Rebecca Epanchin-Niell
- Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C., USA
- Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Gwenllian D Iacona
- Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C., USA
- ASU School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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2
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Camp RJ, Asing CK, Banko PC, Berry L, Brinck KW, Farmer C, Genz AS. Density surface and excursion sets modeling as an approach to estimating population densities. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard J. Camp
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center P.O. Box 44 Hawai'i National Park HI 96718 USA
| | - Chauncey K. Asing
- University of Hawai'i‐Mānoa Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, 3190 Maile Way, St John 408 Honolulu HI 96822 USA
| | - Paul C. Banko
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center P.O. Box 44 Hawai'i National Park HI 96718 USA
| | - Lainie Berry
- State of Hawai'i, Department of Land and Natural Resources‐Division of Forestry and Wildlife 1151 Punchbowl St Rm 325 Honolulu HI 96813 USA
| | - Kevin W. Brinck
- University of Hawai'i‐Hilo Hawai'i Cooperative Studies Unit, P.O. Box 44 Hawai'i National Park HI 96718 USA
| | - Chris Farmer
- American Bird Conservancy P.O. Box 1167 Volcano HI 96785 USA
| | - Ayesha S. Genz
- University of Hawai'i‐Hilo Hawai'i Cooperative Studies Unit, P.O. Box 44 Hawai'i National Park HI 96718 USA
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de Oliveira ACP, Nunes A, Oliveira MA, Rodrigues RG, Branquinho C. How Do Taxonomic and Functional Diversity Metrics Change Along an Aridity Gradient in a Tropical Dry Forest? FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:923219. [PMID: 35873975 PMCID: PMC9302379 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.923219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Ecological indicators based on biodiversity metrics are valuable and cost-effective tools to quantify, track and understand the effects of climate change on ecosystems. Studying changes in these indicators along climatic gradients in space is a common approach to infer about potential impacts of climate change over time, overcoming the limitations of lack of sufficiently long time-series data. Here, we studied the response of complementary biodiversity metrics in plants: taxonomic diversity (species richness and Simpson index) and functional diversity (diversity and redundancy) in 113 sampling sites along a spatial aridity gradient (from 0.27 to 0.69 of aridity index-AI) of 700 km in a Tropical dry forest. We found different responses of taxonomic and functional diversity metrics to aridity. Species diversity showed a hump-shaped curve peaking at intermediate levels of aridity between 0.38 and 0.52 AI as an ecotone, probably because it is where most species, from both drier and more mesic environments, still find conditions to co-exist. Functional diversity showed a positive linear relation with increasing aridity, suggesting higher aridity favors drought-adapted species with diverse functional traits. In contrast, redundancy showed a negative linear relation with increasing aridity, indicating that drier sites have few species sharing the same functional traits and resource acquisition strategies. Thus, despite the increase in functional diversity toward drier sites, these communities are less resilient since they are composed of a small number of plant species with unique functions, increasing the chances that the loss of one of such "key species" could lead to the loss of key ecosystem functions. These findings show that the integration of complementary taxonomic and functional diversity metrics, beyond the individual response of each one, is essential for reliably tracking the impacts of climate change on ecosystems. This work also provides support to the use of these biodiversity metrics as ecological indicators of the potential impact of climate change on drylands over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cláudia Pereira de Oliveira
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes – Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Alice Nunes
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes – Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria Alexandra Oliveira
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes – Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Renato Garcia Rodrigues
- Núcleo de Ecologia e Monitoramento Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina, Brazil
| | - Cristina Branquinho
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes – Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
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Thomas EA, Böhm M, Pollock C, Chen C, Seddon M, Sigwart JD. Assessing the extinction risk of insular, understudied marine species. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2022; 36:e13854. [PMID: 34669223 PMCID: PMC9299203 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Hydrothermal vents are rare deep-sea oases that house faunal assemblages with a similar density of life as coral reefs. Only approximately 600 of these hotspots are known worldwide, most only one-third of a football field in size. With advancing development of the deep-sea mining industry, there is an urgent need to protect these unique, insular ecosystems and their specialist endemic faunas. We applied the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List criteria to assess the extinction risk of vent-endemic molluscs with varying exposure to potential deep-sea mining. We assessed 31 species from three key areas under different regulatory frameworks in the Indian, West Pacific, and Southern Oceans. Three vent mollusc species were also examined as case studies of different threat contexts (protected or not from potential mining) to explore the interaction of local regulatory frameworks and IUCN Red List category assignment. We found that these assessments were robust even when there was some uncertainty in the total range of individual species, allowing assessment of species that have only recently been named and described. For vent-endemic species, regulatory changes to area-based management can have a greater impact on IUCN Red List assessment outcomes than incorporating additional data about species distributions. Our approach revealed the most useful IUCN Red List criteria for vent-endemic species: criteria B and D2. This approach, combining regulatory framework and distribution, has the potential to rapidly gauge assessment outcomes for species in insular systems worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elin A. Thomas
- Queen's University Marine LaboratoryQueen's University BelfastPortaferryUK
| | - Monika Böhm
- Institute of ZoologyZoological Society of LondonLondonUK
- Global Center for Species SurvivalIndianapolis Zoological SocietyIndianapolisIndianaUSA
| | - Caroline Pollock
- Global Species Programme, Red List UnitInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)CambridgeUK
| | - Chong Chen
- X‐STARJapan Agency for Marine‐Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)Yokosuka‐cityKanagawaJapan
| | - Mary Seddon
- IUCN SSC Mollusc Specialist Group, ExbourneOkehamptonUK
| | - Julia D. Sigwart
- Queen's University Marine LaboratoryQueen's University BelfastPortaferryUK
- Senckenberg Research Institute and MuseumFrankfurt am MainGermany
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Boudreau MR, Gantchoff MG, Ramirez‐Reyes C, Conlee L, Belant JL, Iglay RB. Using habitat suitability and landscape connectivity in the spatial prioritization of public outreach and management during carnivore recolonization. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Melanie R. Boudreau
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS USA
| | - Mariela G. Gantchoff
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse NY USA
| | - Carlos Ramirez‐Reyes
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS USA
| | - Laura Conlee
- Missouri Department of Conservation Columbia MO USA
| | - Jerrold L. Belant
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse NY USA
| | - Raymond B. Iglay
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS USA
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Citizen Science Contributions to Address Biodiversity Loss and Conservation Planning in a Rapidly Developing Region. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13060255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Biodiversity data support conservation research and inform conservation decisions addressing the wicked problem of biodiversity loss. However, these data often need processing and compilation before use, which exceed the time availability of professional scientists. Nevertheless, scientists can recruit, train, and support a network of citizen scientists to prepare these data using online platforms. Here, we describe three citizen science projects sponsored by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission to transcribe and georeference historic herbarium specimens and document current biodiversity through iNaturalist for two highly biodiverse and rapidly developing counties in Northwest Arkansas, USA. Citizen science-generated data will be used in a county natural heritage inventory (CNHI) report, including a comprehensive list of taxa tied to voucher specimens and records for rare plant populations. Since the CNHI project started in 2018, citizen scientists have transcribed 8855 and georeferenced 2636 specimen records. From iNaturalist observations, 125 rare plant populations of 39 taxa have been documented. This CNHI report will determine the most critical taxa, habitats, and sites for conservation action in the region and will inform conservation stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels as they engage in land acquisition, ecological restoration, natural resource management, planning of growth and development, and environmental review/regulation.
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Extinction Risk Assessment of the Greek Endemic Flora. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10030195. [PMID: 33806693 PMCID: PMC7999807 DOI: 10.3390/biology10030195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary This study assesses for the first time all the vascular endemic plant taxa of Greece, according to their decline and rarity. Phylogenetic analysis and its spatial overview highlight areas for conservation prioritization. Several of the Greek endemics are threatened with extinction and fourteen of them need to be prioritized, due to their evolutionary distinctiveness. This assessment could act as the baseline and supporting tool for conservation actions, decision- and policy-making for biodiversity, while highlighting the need for a new Red Data Book for the Greek flora. Abstract Human-induced biodiversity decline has been on the rise for the past 250 years, due to various causes. What is equally troubling, is that we are unaware which plants are threatened and where they occur. Thus, we are far from reaching Aichi Biodiversity Target 2, i.e., assessing the extinction risk of most species. To that end, based on an extensive occurrence dataset, we performed an extinction risk assessment according to the IUCN Criteria A and B for all the endemic plant taxa occurring in Greece, one of the most biodiverse countries in Europe, in a phylogenetically-informed framework and identified the areas needing conservation prioritization. Several of the Greek endemics are threatened with extinction and fourteen endemics need to be prioritized, as they are evolutionary distinct and globally endangered. Mt. Gramos is identified as the most important conservation hotspot in Greece. However, a significant portion of the identified conservation hotspots is not included in any designated Greek protected area, meaning that the Greek protected areas network might need to be at least partially redesigned. In the Anthropocene era, where climate and land-use change are projected to alter biodiversity patterns and may force many species to extinction, our assessment provides the baseline for future conservation research, ecosystem services maintenance, and might prove crucial for the timely, systematic and effective aversion of plant extinctions in Greece.
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Araia MG, Chirwa PW, Syampungani S. Do strictly protected areas protect vulnerable local tree species better than human land use? Disentangling conservation value from biodiversity value. J Nat Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Stojanovic D, Young C, Troy S, Heinsohn R. Evaluation of intervention aimed at improving reproductive success in Orange‐bellied Parrots
Neophema chrysogaster
: Lessons, barriers and successes. ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/emr.12422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Scherer L, Svenning JC, Huang J, Seymour CL, Sandel B, Mueller N, Kummu M, Bekunda M, Bruelheide H, Hochman Z, Siebert S, Rueda O, van Bodegom PM. Global priorities of environmental issues to combat food insecurity and biodiversity loss. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 730:139096. [PMID: 32388110 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 03/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Various environmental challenges are rapidly threatening ecosystems and societies globally. Major interventions and a strategic approach are required to minimize harm and to avoid reaching catastrophic tipping points. Setting evidence-based priorities aids maximizing the impact of the limited resources available for environmental interventions. Focusing on protecting both food security and biodiversity, international experts prioritized major environmental challenges for intervention based on three comprehensive criteria - importance, neglect, and tractability. The top priorities differ between food security and biodiversity. For food security, the top priorities are pollinator loss, soil compaction, and nutrient depletion, and for biodiversity conservation, ocean acidification and land and sea use (especially habitat degradation) are the main concerns. While climate change might be the most pressing environmental challenge and mitigation is clearly off-track, other issues rank higher because of climate change's high attention in research. Research and policy agendas do not yet consistently cover these priorities. Thus, a shift in attention towards the high-priority environmental challenges, identified here, is needed to increase the effectiveness of global environmental protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Scherer
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) & Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jing Huang
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; College of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China.
| | - Colleen L Seymour
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Claremont, South Africa; DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Brody Sandel
- Department of Biology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, United States
| | - Nathaniel Mueller
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States; Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Matti Kummu
- Water & Development Research Group, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Mateete Bekunda
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Zvi Hochman
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Stefan Siebert
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Oscar Rueda
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Peter M van Bodegom
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
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Carrasco AR. Simple Assessment of Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Salt Marshes Ecological Services. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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