Conservation priority setting based on phylogenetic diversity has frequently been proposed but rarely implemented. Here, we define a simple index that measures the contribution made by different ...species to phylogenetic diversity and show how the index might contribute towards species-based conservation priorities. We describe procedures to control for missing species, incomplete phylogenetic resolution and uncertainty in node ages that make it possible to apply the method in poorly known clades. We also show that the index is independent of clade size in phylogenies of more than 100 species, indicating that scores from unrelated taxonomic groups are likely to be comparable. Similar scores are returned under two different species concepts, suggesting that the index is robust to taxonomic changes. The approach is applied to a near-complete species-level phylogeny of the Mammalia to generate a global priority list incorporating both phylogenetic diversity and extinction risk. The 100 highest-ranking species represent a high proportion of total mammalian diversity and include many species not usually recognised as conservation priorities. Many species that are both evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered (EDGE species) do not benefit from existing conservation projects or protected areas. The results suggest that global conservation priorities may have to be reassessed in order to prevent a disproportionately large amount of mammalian evolutionary history becoming extinct in the near future.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species (RLS) is the key global tool for objective, repeatable assessment of species’ extinction risk status, and plays an ...essential role in tracking biodiversity loss and guiding conservation action. Satellite remote sensing (SRS) data sets on global ecosystem distributions and functioning show exciting potential for informing range‐based RLS assessment, but their incorporation has been restricted by low temporal resolution and coverage of data sets, lack of incorporation of degradation‐driven habitat loss, and noninclusion of assumptions related to identification of changing habitat distributions for taxa with varying habitat dependency and ecologies. For poorly known mangrove‐associated Cuban hutias (Mesocapromys spp.), we tested the impact of possible assumptions regarding these issues on range‐based RLS assessment outcomes. Specifically, we used annual (1985–2018) Landsat data and land‐cover classification and habitat degradation analyses across different internal time series slices to simulate range‐based RLS assessments for our case study taxa to explore potential assessment uncertainty arising from temporal SRS data set coverage, incorporating proxies of (change in) habitat quality, and assumptions on spatial scaling of habitat extent for RLS parameter generation. We found extensive variation in simulated species‐specific range‐based RLS assessments, and this variation was mostly associated with the time series over which parameters were estimated. However, results of some species‐specific assessments differed by up to 3 categories (near threatened to critically endangered) within the same time series, due to the effects of incorporating habitat quality and the spatial scaling used in RLS parameter estimation. Our results showed that a one‐size‐fits‐all approach to incorporating SRS information in RLS assessment is inappropriate, and we urge caution in conducting range‐based assessments with SRS for species for which habitat dependence on specific ecosystem types is incompletely understood. We propose novel revisions to parameter spatial scaling guidelines to improve integration of existing time series data on ecosystem change into the RLS assessment process.
Resumen
La Lista Roja de Especies Amenazadas (LREA) de la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza es la herramienta mundial más importante para la evaluación objetiva y repetible del estado de riesgo de extinción de una especie y juega un papel esencial en el seguimiento de la pérdida de la biodiversidad y en la orientación de las acciones de conservación. Los conjuntos de datos obtenidos por telemetría satelital (SRS) sobre la distribución y funcionamiento de los ecosistemas globales tienen un potencial emocionante para informar las evaluaciones de la LREA basadas en la extensión de la distribución de la especie, pero su incorporación dentro de los estudios ha estado restringida por la baja resolución temporal y la poca cobertura de los conjuntos de datos, la falta de inclusión de la pérdida de hábitat causada por la degradación y la nula inclusión de las suposiciones relacionadas con la identificación del cambio de hábitat de distribución para los taxones con una ecología y una dependencia por el hábitat variantes. Analizamos el impacto de las posibles suposiciones con respecto a los tres temas anteriores sobre los resultados de la evaluación de la LREA basada en la distribución de la jutía cubana (Mesocapromys spp.), una especie poco conocida y asociada con manglares. Específicamente, usamos los datos anuales (1985‐2018) de Landsat y de la clasificación del uso de suelo y los análisis de degradación del hábitat en diferentes porciones de series temporales internas para simular las evaluaciones de la LREA basadas en la extensión para nuestro taxón de estudio y así explorar la incertidumbre potencial de la evaluación que surge de la cobertura del conjunto de datos SRS temporales. También incorporamos sustitutos de (cambio en) la calidad del hábitat y suposiciones sobre la escala espacial de la extensión del hábitat para la generación de parámetros de la LREA. Encontramos una variación extensa en las evaluaciones simuladas de la LREA específicas de especie y basadas en la extensión. Esta variación estuvo principalmente asociada con la serie temporal sobre la cual se estimaron los parámetros. Sin embargo, los resultados de algunas evaluaciones específicas de especie difirieron hasta en tres categorías (de casi amenazada hasta en peligro crítico) dentro de la misma serie temporal debido a los efectos de la incorporación de la calidad del hábitat y la escala espacial usadas en la estimación de parámetros de la LREA. Nuestros resultados muestran que un enfoque genérico para incorporar la información de SRS en la evaluación de la LREA es inapropiado e instamos precaución al realizar evaluaciones basadas en la extensión con datos SRS para especies cuya dependencia de hábitat por tipos específicos de ecosistemas no está entendida por completo. Proponemos que existan revisiones novedosas de las pautas para los parámetros de las escalas espaciales y así mejorar la integración de los datos existentes de series temporales sobre el cambio en el ecosistema dentro de los procesos de evaluación de RLS.
Identificación de las Posibilidades y las Dificultades para la Realización de Evaluaciones de la Lista Roja de la UICN a partir de Información de Hábitat Detectada Remotamente con base en la Información sobre Mamíferos Cubanos Poco Conocidos
Article impact statement: IUCN Red List guidelines need revision to enable appropriate, comparable incorporation of remotely sensed data into species assessments.
One of the most striking human impacts on global biodiversity is the ongoing depletion of large vertebrates from terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Recent work suggests this loss of megafauna can ...affect processes at biome or Earth system scales with potentially serious impacts on ecosystem structure and function, ecosystem services, and biogeochemical cycles. We argue that our contemporary approach to biodiversity conservation focuses on spatial scales that are too small to adequately address these impacts. We advocate a new global approach to address this conservation gap, which must enable megafaunal populations to recover to functionally relevant densities. We conclude that re-establishing biome and Earth system functions needs to become an urgent global priority for conservation science and policy.
The loss of large vertebrates (megafauna) from the world’s ecosystems has been occurring throughout human history.Emerging evidence suggests these losses can have dramatic impacts on ecological functions, including the near collapse of biogeochemical cycles at biome and Earth system scales.Although the biodiversity conservation community increasingly recognises the need to restore ecological functions at landscape scales, it currently operates at scales that are too small to adequately address the functional consequences of megafaunal losses at biome and earth system scales.Re-establishing biome and Earth system functions needs to become a global priority for the biodiversity conservation community, and we will need a new global initiative to deliver this.
To understand the current biodiversity crisis, it is crucial to determine how humans have affected biodiversity in the past. However, the extent of human involvement in species extinctions from the ...Late Pleistocene onward remains contentious. Here, we apply Bayesian models to the fossil record to estimate how mammalian extinction rates have changed over the past 126,000 years, inferring specific times of rate increases. We specifically test the hypothesis of human-caused extinctions by using posterior predictive methods. We find that human population size is able to predict past extinctions with 96% accuracy. Predictors based on past climate, in contrast, perform no better than expected by chance, suggesting that climate had a negligible impact on global mammal extinctions. Based on current trends, we predict for the near future a rate escalation of unprecedented magnitude. Our results provide a comprehensive assessment of the human impact on past and predicted future extinctions of mammals.
Abstract
Reconstructing the evolutionary history of island biotas is complicated by unusual morphological evolution in insular environments. However, past human-caused extinctions limit the use of ...molecular analyses to determine origins and affinities of enigmatic island taxa. The Caribbean formerly contained a morphologically diverse assemblage of caviomorph rodents (33 species in 19 genera), ranging from ∼0.1 to 200 kg and traditionally classified into three higher-order taxa (Capromyidae/Capromyinae, Heteropsomyinae, and Heptaxodontidae). Few species survive today, and the evolutionary affinities of living and extinct Caribbean caviomorphs to each other and to mainland taxa are unclear: Are they monophyletic, polyphyletic, or paraphyletic? We use ancient DNA techniques to present the first genetic data for extinct heteropsomyines and heptaxodontids, as well as for several extinct capromyids, and demonstrate through analysis of mitogenomic and nuclear data sets that all sampled Caribbean caviomorphs represent a well-supported monophyletic group. The remarkable morphological and ecological variation observed across living and extinct caviomorphs from Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and other islands was generated through within-archipelago evolutionary radiation following a single Early Miocene overwater colonization. This evolutionary pattern contrasts with the origination of diversity in many other Caribbean groups. All living and extinct Caribbean caviomorphs comprise a single biologically remarkable subfamily (Capromyinae) within the morphologically conservative living Neotropical family Echimyidae. Caribbean caviomorphs represent an important new example of insular mammalian adaptive radiation, where taxa retaining “ancestral-type” characteristics coexisted alongside taxa occupying novel island niches. Diversification was associated with the greatest insular body mass increase recorded in rodents and possibly the greatest for any mammal lineage.
The use of robust ecological data to make evidence-based management decisions for highly threatened species is often limited by data availability, and local ecological knowledge (LEK) is increasingly ...seen as an important source of information for conservation. Pangolins are now the most heavily trafficked mammals in illegal wildlife trade, and Chinese pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) are Critically Endangered, with no recent baseline data available to assess status of pangolin populations in China. We conducted community-based interviews across seven protected areas in Hainan, China, to investigate whether LEK can provide novel insights for pangolin conservation. LEK of pangolins remains high in Hainan (90% of respondents recognize pangolins and can provide supporting information), and pangolins are likely to survive in all protected areas that were surveyed, as evidenced by recent sightings dating from 2013 to 2015. However, all populations have declined and are now perceived to be of very low abundance (only 34% of respondents consider pangolins to remain locally present, and these respondents all regard pangolins as rare). Illegal hunting continues across this region, with pangolin body parts used locally and sold to outsiders. Pangolins are likely to soon become extirpated across Hainan unless effective conservation management plans can be initiated. Methods to monitor and assess pangolin status and threats are urgently required across all range states, and we demonstrate that large-scale LEK surveys can strengthen the evidence-base for informing robust conservation action and management plans for these species.
•Baseline data on current status of pangolins in China are almost completely lacking.•Large-scale surveys of local ecological knowledge can inform pangolin conservation.•Chinese pangolins are still present across protected areas in Hainan, China.•Chinese pangolin abundances are very low and populations have largely declined.•Risk of extirpation of Chinese pangolins from Hainan is severe due to poaching.
Although the recent historical period is usually treated as a temporal base-line for understanding patterns of mammal extinction, mammalian biodiversity loss has also taken place throughout the Late ...Quaternary. We explore the spatial, taxonomic and phylogenetic patterns of 241 mammal species extinctions known to have occurred during the Holocene up to the present day. To assess whether our understanding of mammalian threat processes has been affected by excluding these taxa, we incorporate extinct species data into analyses of the impact of body mass on extinction risk. We find that Holocene extinctions have been phylogenetically and spatially concentrated in specific taxa and geographical regions, which are often not congruent with those disproportionately at risk today. Large-bodied mammals have also been more extinction-prone in most geographical regions across the Holocene. Our data support the extinction filter hypothesis, whereby regional faunas from which susceptible species have already become extinct now appear less threatened; they may also suggest that different processes are responsible for driving past and present extinctions. We also find overall incompleteness and inter-regional biases in extinction data from the recent fossil record. Although direct use of fossil data in future projections of extinction risk is therefore not straightforward, insights into extinction processes from the Holocene record are still useful in understanding mammalian threat.
Ecological baselines-reference states of species' distributions and abundances-are key to the scientific arguments underpinning many conservation and management interventions, as well as to the ...public support to such interventions. Yet societal as well as scientific perceptions of these baselines are often based on ecosystems that have been deeply transformed by human actions. Despite increased awareness about the pervasiveness and implications of this shifting baseline syndrome, ongoing global assessments of the state of biodiversity do not take into account the long-term, cumulative, anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity. Here, we propose a new framework for documenting such impacts, by classifying populations according to the extent to which they deviate from a baseline in the absence of human actions. We apply this framework to the bowhead whale (
) to illustrate how it can be used to assess populations with different geographies and timelines of known or suspected impacts. Through other examples, we discuss how the framework can be applied to populations for which there is a wide diversity of existing knowledge, by making the best use of the available ecological, historical and archaeological data. Combined across multiple populations, this framework provides a standard for assessing cumulative anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The past is a foreign country: how much can the fossil record actually inform conservation?'
Establishing protected areas (PAs) is an essential strategy to reduce biodiversity loss. However, many PAs do not provide adequate protection due to poor funding, inadequate staffing and equipment, ...and ineffective management. As part of China's recent economic growth, the Chinese government has significantly increased investment in nature reserves over the past 20 years, providing a unique opportunity to evaluate whether PAs can protect threatened species effectively. We compiled data from published literature on populations of gibbons (Hylobatidae), a threatened taxon with cultural significance, that occurred in Chinese reserves after 1980. We evaluated the ability of these PAs to maintain gibbon habitat and populations by comparing forest cover and human disturbance between reserves and their surrounding areas and modeling the impact of reserve characteristics on gibbon population trends. We also assessed the perspective of reserve staff concerning PA management effectiveness through an online survey. Reserves effectively protected gibbon habitat by reducing forest loss and human disturbance; however, half the reserves lost their gibbon populations since being established. Gibbons were more likely to survive in reserves established more recently, at higher elevation, with less forest loss and lower human impact, and that have been relatively well studied. A larger initial population size in the 1980s was positively associated with gibbon persistence. Although staff of all reserves reported increased investment and improved management over the past 20–30 years, no relationship was found between management effectiveness and gibbon population trends. We suggest early and emphatic intervention is critical to stop population decline and prevent extinction.
Efectos de las Áreas Protegidas sobre la Supervivencia de Gibones Amenazados en China
Resumen
El establecimiento de áreas protegidas (APs) es una estrategia esencial para la reducción de la pérdida de la biodiversidad. Sin embargo, muchas APs no proporcionan una protección adecuada debido a un mal financiamiento, personal y equipamientos inadecuados y un manejo poco efectivo. Como parte del reciente crecimiento económico en China, el gobierno del país ha incrementado significativamente la inversión en las reservas naturales durante los últimos 20 años, proporcionando así una oportunidad única para evaluar si las APs pueden proteger a las especies amenazadas de manera efectiva. Recopilamos datos de la literatura publicada sobre las poblaciones de gibones (Hylobatidae), un taxón amenazado que cuenta con importancia cultural, que se presentaron en las reservas chinas después de 1980. Evaluamos la habilidad de estas APs para mantener el hábitat y las poblaciones de gibones al comparar la cobertura del bosque y la perturbación humana entre las reservas y las áreas vecinas y al modelar el impacto de las características de la reserva sobre las tendencias poblacionales de los gibones. También evaluamos la perspectiva del personal de la reserva con respecto a la efectividad en el manejo de la AP por medio de una encuesta en línea. Las reservas protegieron efectivamente al hábitat de los gibones mediante la reducción de la pérdida del bosque y de la perturbación humana; sin embargo, la mitad de las reservas perdieron su población de gibones desde su establecimiento. Los gibones tuvieron mayores probabilidades de sobrevivir en las reservas establecidas más recientemente, a una elevación más alta, con menor pérdida de bosque y menor impacto humano, y las cuales han sido relativamente bien estudiadas. Un tamaño de población inicial mayor durante la década de 1980 estuvo asociado positivamente con la permanencia de los gibones. Aunque el personal de todas las reservas reportó un incremento en la inversión y mejoras en el manejo durante los últimos 20–30 años, no encontramos una relación entre la efectividad en el manejo y las tendencias poblacionales de los gibones. Sugerimos que una intervención temprana y empática es crítica para detener la declinación poblacional y prevenir la extinción.
摘要
建立保护区是缓解生物多样性丧失的重要手段。然而, 因为缺乏资金、人员和设备, 以及缺乏有效的管理, 很多保护区并没有为生物多样性提供足够的保护。过去 20 年中, 随着中国经济的发展, 中国政府极大地增加了对保护区的投入, 为我们提供了独特的机会来评估保护区能否有效地保护濒危物种。长臂猿科的物种均属于濒危物种, 在中国具有重要的文化意义。我们从已发表的文献中收集了 1980 年后生活在保护区内的长臂猿种群相关数据, 并评估了这些保护区能否维持长臂猿的种群和栖息地。我们比较了保护区与其周边地区的森林覆盖率和人为干扰, 并使用模型分析了影响长臂猿种群变化的保护区特征。同时, 我们通过线上问卷调查了保护区员工对于其所在保护区管理有效性的评价。结果显示, 保护区通过减少森林丧失和人为干扰, 能够有效地保护长臂猿的栖息地; 然而同时, 长臂猿在将近一半的保护区中消失了。长臂猿更多地存活在在较近成立的, 具有更高的海拔、更少的森林丧失、更少的人为干扰, 以及更多的科学研究的保护区中, 80 年代起始种群更大的长臂猿种群也更有可能存活下来。虽然所有保护区的员工均表示在过去 20–30 年间, 其所在保护区的投入和管理有效性均在增加, 但我们没有发现管理有效性和长臂猿种群变化趋势之间存在相关性。我们建议, 对濒危物种进行尽早且有力的干预, 对于制止种群下降、防止灭绝具有重要的作用。
Article impact statement: Protected areas in China effectively protect gibbon habitat but not gibbon populations, even with increased investment in recent decades.
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