How secure is the Lord Howe Island Woodhen? A population viability analysis using VORTEX

1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry W. Brook ◽  
Leong Lim ◽  
Robert Harden ◽  
Richard Frankham
Keyword(s):  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Population Viability Analysis ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Population Viability ◽  
Viability Analysis ◽  
Wild Pigs ◽  
Lord Howe Island ◽  
Iucn Red List Categories ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
Endangered Status

The Lord Howe Island Woodhen is a flightless rail endemic to Lord Howe Island that became endangered due to human over-exploitation and predation from wild pigs. It has recently recovered from a population size of 20?30 to around 200 as a result of a captive breeding and reintroduction programme. Its classification has been downgraded from endangered to vulnerable, but no quantitative assessment of its future prospects had been undertaken. A population viability analysis (PVA) was performed on the Lord Howe Island Woodhen to project its possible fate using VORTEX, a package that realistically reflects the woodhen's recent history. Prospective analyses showed the woodhen to be acutely sensitive to minor changes in mortality and fecundity, and to catastrophes, due to exotic species, inbreeding, or disease. A remote population needs to be established if the likelihood of the woodhen's extinction is to be minimized. According to the most recent IUCN Red List categories, the woodhen satisfies the criteria for endangered status.

Population Viability Analysis.Edited by Steven R Beissinger and Dale R Mullough

2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 251
Author(s):  
Reviewed by BW Brook
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Biology ◽  
Population Viability Analysis ◽  
Population Viability ◽  
Integrated Modelling ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Viability Analysis ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Natural Catastrophes ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
Complex Computer

PREDICTING the persistence of small populations is a key issue in population ecology and conservation biology. A large and increasing number of species are threatened with extinction from factors associated with humans (such as habitat loss, over-exploitation, pollution and introduced species) and stochastic hazards (demographic and environmental fluctuations, natural catastrophes, inbreeding and loss of genetic variation). In order to address such problems in a systematic way, the process of ?population viability analysis? (PVA) has been developed over the past few decades, and has now become one of the major unifying disciplines in conservation biology. PVA is a technique, usually employing complex computer simulations, for predicting the future fate of wildlife populations and comparing competing management options, based on the integrated modelling of demographic, environmental, genetic and habitat-related information. Using PVA allows time, money and onground action to be rationally and efficiently allocated.

scholarly journals Can we reestablish a self-sustaining population? A case study on reintroduced Crested Ibis with population viability analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yashuai Zhang ◽  
Fang Wang ◽  
Zhenxia Cui ◽  
Min Li ◽  
Xia Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Wild Population ◽  
Population Viability Analysis ◽  
Population Viability ◽  
Viability Analysis ◽  
Crested Ibis ◽  
Reintroduced Population

Abstract Background One of the most challenging tasks in wildlife conservation and management is clarifying which and how external and intrinsic factors influence wildlife demography and long-term viability. The wild population of the Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) has recovered to approximately 4400, and several reintroduction programs have been carried out in China, Japan and Korea. Population viability analysis on this endangered species has been limited to the wild population, showing that the long-term population growth is restricted by the carrying capacity and inbreeding. However, gaps in knowledge of the viability of the reintroduced population and its drivers in the release environment impede the identification of the most effective population-level priorities for aiding in species recovery. Methods The field monitoring data were collected from a reintroduced Crested Ibis population in Ningshan, China from 2007 to 2018. An individual-based VORTEX model (Version 10.3.5.0) was used to predict the future viability of the reintroduced population by incorporating adaptive patterns of ibis movement in relation to catastrophe frequency, mortality and sex ratio. Results The reintroduced population in Ningshan County is unlikely to go extinct in the next 50 years. The population size was estimated to be 367, and the population genetic diversity was estimated to be 0.97. Sensitivity analysis showed that population size and extinction probability were dependent on the carrying capacity and sex ratio. The carrying capacity is the main factor accounting for the population size and genetic diversity, while the sex ratio is the primary factor responsible for the population growth trend. Conclusions A viable population of the Crested Ibis can be established according to population viability analysis. Based on our results, conservation management should prioritize a balanced sex ratio, high-quality habitat and low mortality.

Unsustainable harvest of dugongs in Torres Strait and Cape York (Australia) waters: two case studies using population viability analysis

2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Heinsohn ◽  
Robert C. Lacy ◽  
David B. Lindenmayer ◽  
Helene Marsh ◽  
Donna Kwan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Population Viability Analysis ◽  
Population Viability ◽  
Viability Analysis ◽  
Cape York ◽  
Torres Strait

Comment on sea lion population viability analysis

Polar Biology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (10) ◽  
pp. 1617-1618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Breen ◽  
David J. Gilbert ◽  
Paul J. Starr
Keyword(s):  
Population Viability Analysis ◽  
Population Viability ◽  
Sea Lion ◽  
Viability Analysis
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