scholarly journals Alien species as a driver of recent extinctions

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 20150623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Bellard ◽  
Phillip Cassey ◽  
Tim M. Blackburn
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Using Data

We assessed the prevalence of alien species as a driver of recent extinctions in five major taxa (plants, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals), using data from the IUCN Red List. Our results show that alien species are the second most common threat associated with species that have gone completely extinct from these taxa since AD 1500. Aliens are the most common threat associated with extinctions in three of the five taxa analysed, and for vertebrate extinctions overall.

scholarly journals Red List assessments of East African chameleons: a case study of why we need experts

Oryx ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 652-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelique Hjarding ◽  
Krystal A. Tolley ◽  
Neil D. Burgess
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
East African ◽  
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ◽  
Extra Step ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Threatened Status ◽  
Expert Data

AbstractThe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species uses geographical distribution as a key criterion in assessing the conservation status of species. Accurate knowledge of a species’ distribution is therefore essential to ensure the correct categorization is applied. Here we compare the geographical distribution of 35 species of chameleons endemic to East Africa, using data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and data compiled by a taxonomic expert. Data screening showed 99.9% of GBIF records used outdated taxonomy and 20% had no locality coordinates. Conversely the expert dataset used 100% up-to-date taxonomy and only seven records (3%) had no coordinates. Both datasets were used to generate range maps for each species, which were then used in preliminary Red List categorization. There was disparity in the categories of 10 species, with eight being assigned a lower threat category based on GBIF data compared with expert data, and the other two assigned a higher category. Our results suggest that before conducting desktop assessments of the threatened status of species, aggregated museum locality data should be vetted against current taxonomy and localities should be verified. We conclude that available online databases are not an adequate substitute for taxonomic experts in assessing the threatened status of species and that Red List assessments may be compromised unless this extra step of verification is carried out.

scholarly journals Diversity, conservation, potential uses, and alien species of lowland plants of Batang Toru, Sumatra, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirmas F. Putra ◽  
Wendy A. Mustaqim
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Alien Species ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Invasive Alien Species ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
The West ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Swamp Forest

Abstract. Putra HF, Mustaqim WA. 2021. Diversity, conservation, potential uses, and alien species of lowland plants of Batang Toru, Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 1580-1591. A recent field inventory of lowland Sumatran plant diversity was carried out in two close sites of forest patches in the Batang Toru area. These are Muara Upu Swamp Forest and Simulak Anjing Hill Forest. This study aimed to investigate the species composition of two isolated lowland Sumatran forest patches on the west coast of the northern part of the island. The total number of species recorded was 181 species with 131 species known from Simulak Anjing Hill Forest, 54 from Muara Upu Swamp Forest, and only three species recorded from both sites. There are three species endemic to Sumatra, seven species listed as threatened according to the IUCN Red List, one species protected by the Indonesian government, and two are important records for Sumatra. Compared to the published literature, 88 species have been reported to have one or more uses, with 63 species have been used as the source of medicines, 19 as sources of fibers, 18 as the source of vegetables, and several other uses. Sixteen alien species were recorded including four species categorized as 100 world’s worst invasive species. It can be concluded that both areas are a home for important lowland plants of Sumatra as indicated by the presence of threatened, endemic, or poorly documented species. Besides that, there is also a need for concern about the presence of potential invasive alien species.

scholarly journals Comparing the IUCN’s EICAT and Red List to improve assessments of the impact of biological invasions

NeoBiota ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 509-523
Author(s):  
Dewidine Van der Colff ◽  
Sabrina Kumschick ◽  
Wendy Foden ◽  
John R. U. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Biological Invasions ◽  
Alien Species ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The IUCN recommends the use of two distinct schemes to assess the impacts of biological invasions on biodiversity at the species level. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Red List) categorises native species based on their risk of extinction. Such assessments evaluate the extent to which different pressures, including alien species, threaten native species. The much newer IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) categorises alien species on the degree to which they have impacted native species. Conceptually, the schemes are related. One would expect that: 1) if a native species is assessed as threatened under the Red List due to the impacts of alien species, then at least one alien species involved should be classified as harmful under EICAT; and 2) if an alien species is assessed as harmful under EICAT, then at least one native species impacted should be assessed as threatened by alien species under the Red List. Here we test this by comparing the impacts of alien gastropods, assessed using EICAT, to the impact on native species as assessed based on the Red List. We found a weak positive correlation, but it is clear there is not a simple one-to-one relationship. We hypothesise that the relationship between EICAT and the Red List statuses will follow one of three forms: i) the EICAT status of an alien species is closely correlated to the Red List status of the impacted native species; ii) the alien species is classed as ‘harmful’ under EICAT, but it does not threaten the native species with extinction as per the Red List (for example, the impacted native species is still widespread or abundant despite significant negative impacts from the alien species); or iii) the native species is classified as threatened under the Red List regardless of the impacts of the alien species (threatened species are impacted by other pressures with alien species potentially a passenger and not a driver of change). We conclude that the two schemes are complementary rather than equivalent, and provide some recommendations for how categorisations and data can be used in concert.

scholarly journals The Impact of Conservation on the Status of the World’s Vertebrates

Science ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 330 (6010) ◽  
pp. 1503-1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hoffmann ◽  
Craig Hilton-Taylor ◽  
Ariadne Angulo ◽  
Monika Böhm ◽  
Thomas M. Brooks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Invasive Alien Species ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Red List ◽  
Agricultural Expansion ◽  
International Union ◽  
Current Conservation ◽  
The Status ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

Using data for 25,780 species categorized on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, we present an assessment of the status of the world’s vertebrates. One-fifth of species are classified as Threatened, and we show that this figure is increasing: On average, 52 species of mammals, birds, and amphibians move one category closer to extinction each year. However, this overall pattern conceals the impact of conservation successes, and we show that the rate of deterioration would have been at least one-fifth again as much in the absence of these. Nonetheless, current conservation efforts remain insufficient to offset the main drivers of biodiversity loss in these groups: agricultural expansion, logging, overexploitation, and invasive alien species.

Associations of invasive alien species and other threats to IUCN Red List species (Chordata: vertebrates)

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 1169-1180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Berglund ◽  
Johannes Järemo ◽  
Göran Bengtsson
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Invasive Alien Species ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Red List Species

scholarly journals Giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis density and abundance in Llanos Orientales de Colombia in the Orinoco basin

Oryx ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Germán Garrote ◽  
Beyker Castañeda ◽  
Jose Manuel Escobar ◽  
Laura Pérez ◽  
Brayan Marín ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Population Size ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Recreational Fishing ◽  
Pteronura Brasiliensis ◽  
Direct Counts

Abstract The giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis, categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, was once widely distributed throughout South America. By the middle of the 20th century the giant otter had become locally extinct along the main rivers of the Orinoco basin. Although some populations seem to have recovered, the paucity of information available does not permit a full evaluation of the species' conservation status. The objective of this study was to estimate the abundance and density of the giant otter population along the Orinoco river in the municipality of Puerto Carreño, Vichada, Colombia, where there is important commercial and recreational fishing. Thirty-nine linear km were surveyed, repeatedly, with a total of 315 km of surveys. Population size was estimated by direct counts of individuals. All individuals detected were photographed and identified individually from their throat pelage patterns. In total, 30 otters were identified, giving a minimum density of 0.77 individuals per km, one of the highest reported for the species in Colombia. Given the high density in this well-developed area, our results highlight the importance of this population for the conservation of the species.

scholarly journals Distribution and illegal killing of the Endangered Indian pangolin Manis crassicaudata on the Potohar Plateau, Pakistan

Oryx ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tariq Mahmood ◽  
Faraz Akrim ◽  
Nausheen Irshad ◽  
Riaz Hussain ◽  
Hira Fatima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Geographical Information System ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Illegal Hunting ◽  
Iucn Red List Assessment ◽  
Iucn Assessment ◽  
Illegal Killing

AbstractThe Endangered Indian pangolin Manis crassicaudata, a burrowing, armoured mammal, plays an important role in the food web by consuming insects and termites. In Pakistan the species’ range includes the 22,000 km2 Potohar Plateau, where it is under pressure from illegal hunting for its scales and requires conservation attention. We used a geographical information system to quantify the range of the Indian pangolin on the Plateau and to compare this with the range estimated in the IUCN Red List assessment of the species. We found that the species occupies c. 89% of the Plateau, in eight of the 10 protected areas, compared with the IUCN estimate of 71%, and we recorded the species at 40 locations on the Plateau outside the range predicted by the IUCN assessment. We collected data on the illegal capture and killing of the species, recording 412 individuals that had been killed at 48 locations between January 2011 and the end of April 2013. The highest number of killings was recorded in Chakwal District (n = 156, at 13 sites) followed by the Attock District (n = 149, at eight sites). Although the Indian pangolin's range on the Potohar Plateau is c. 18% larger than that estimated in the IUCN assessment, the species is under pressure from illegal killing and requires urgent conservation measures to save the small remaining population and avoid the extirpation of this vital insectivorous predator from the area.

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