scholarly journals Mismatch of Research Effort and Threat in Avian Conservation Biology

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Brito ◽  
Monik Oprea
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Biology ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Bird Conservation ◽  
International Literature ◽  
Avian Conservation ◽  
Threatened Taxa ◽  
Published Research

Avian declines and extinctions are a worldwide concern. Conservation priorities for birds should target threatened taxa (taxonomic targets) and regions with high levels of species richness and endemism (geographical targets). Does published research on bird conservation reflect the global taxonomic and geographic priorities? We surveyed six years (2000–2005) of six international conservation journals, and analyzed all articles on birds. Attention indexes were calculated for orders, threatened species, and biogeographic realms. We also examined how well research from tropical nations (with high levels of richness and endemism) are represented in the international literature. Results show that Struthioniformes is the order that has the highest attention (0.54), mostly because this order has relatively few species, and the lowest attention was recorded for Coliiformes (0.00). For some orders (Anseriformes, Apodiformes, Caprimulgiformes, Coraciiformes, Cuculiformes, Gaviiformes, Pelecaniformes, Phoenicopteriformes, Podicipediformes, Struthioniformes, Tinamiformes and Trogoniformes), most of the published research focuses on non-threatened species. The Nearctic and Palearctic are the biogeographic realms that receive most attention by avian conservationists. However, the Neotropical, Afrotropical, and Indomalayan are the regions with higher species diversity. Eighty-four countries contributed articles, but the majority of bird conservation research is conducted by North American and western European researchers. There is urgent need for capacity building in tropical developing nations. Birds are seriously threatened and are rapidly declining worldwide. However, bird conservation is still misplacing its focus in lower-biodiversity regions and for some orders focusing in non-threatened species. If such trends are not changed, the consequences for the persistence of birds worldwide may be dire.

scholarly journals Bats of the Philippine Islands –a review of research directions and relevance to national-level priorities and targets

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krizler C Tanalgo ◽  
Alice C Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Threatened Species ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
National Level ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Future ◽  
Bat Conservation

Effective science-based conservation priorities and policies are crucially important to effectively maintain biodiversity into the future. For many threatened species and systems insufficient information exists to generate priorities, or the mechanisms needed to effectively conserve species into the future, and this is especially important in megadiversity countries like the Philippines, threatened by rapid rates of development and with few overarching strategies to maintain their biodiversity. Here, using a bibliographic approach to indicate research strengths and priorities, we summarised scientific information on Philippine bats from 2000-2017. We examine relationships between thematic areas and effort allocated for each species bat guild, and conservation status. We found that an average of 7.9 studies was published annually with the majority focused on diversity and community surveys. However, research effort is not even between taxonomic groups, thematic areas or species, with disproportionate effort focusing on ‘taxonomy and systematics’ and ‘ecology’. Species effort allocation between threatened and less threatened species does not show a significant difference, though this may be because generalist species are found in many studies, whereas rarer species have single species studies devoted to them. A growing collaborative effort in bat conservation initiatives in the Philippines has focused on the protection of many endemic and threatened species (e.g., flying foxes) and their habitats. The implementation of conservation relevant policies, outreach programs, capacity building, and mainstreaming of evidence-based conservation are encouraged to strengthen bat conservation in the Philippines.

scholarly journals Bats of the Philippine Islands –a review of research directions and relevance to national-level priorities and targets

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krizler C Tanalgo ◽  
Alice C Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Threatened Species ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
National Level ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Future ◽  
Bat Conservation

Effective science-based conservation priorities and policies are crucially important to effectively maintain biodiversity into the future. For many threatened species and systems insufficient information exists to generate priorities, or the mechanisms needed to effectively conserve species into the future, and this is especially important in megadiversity countries like the Philippines, threatened by rapid rates of development and with few overarching strategies to maintain their biodiversity. Here, using a bibliographic approach to indicate research strengths and priorities, we summarised scientific information on Philippine bats from 2000-2017. We examine relationships between thematic areas and effort allocated for each species bat guild, and conservation status. We found that an average of 7.9 studies was published annually with the majority focused on diversity and community surveys. However, research effort is not even between taxonomic groups, thematic areas or species, with disproportionate effort focusing on ‘taxonomy and systematics’ and ‘ecology’. Species effort allocation between threatened and less threatened species does not show a significant difference, though this may be because generalist species are found in many studies, whereas rarer species have single species studies devoted to them. A growing collaborative effort in bat conservation initiatives in the Philippines has focused on the protection of many endemic and threatened species (e.g., flying foxes) and their habitats. The implementation of conservation relevant policies, outreach programs, capacity building, and mainstreaming of evidence-based conservation are encouraged to strengthen bat conservation in the Philippines.

scholarly journals Conservation Status of Marine Biodiversity in Oceania: An Analysis of Marine Species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth A. Polidoro ◽  
Cristiane T. Elfes ◽  
Jonnell C. Sanciangco ◽  
Helen Pippard ◽  
Kent E. Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Threatened Species ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Conservation Action

Given the economic and cultural dependence on the marine environment in Oceania and a rapidly expanding human population, many marine species populations are in decline and may be vulnerable to extinction from a number of local and regional threats. IUCN Red List assessments, a widely used system for quantifying threats to species and assessing species extinction risk, have been completed for 1190 marine species in Oceania to date, including all known species of corals, mangroves, seagrasses, sea snakes, marine mammals, sea birds, sea turtles, sharks, and rays present in Oceania, plus all species in five important perciform fish groups. Many of the species in these groups are threatened by the modification or destruction of coastal habitats, overfishing from direct or indirect exploitation, pollution, and other ecological or environmental changes associated with climate change. Spatial analyses of threatened species highlight priority areas for both site- and species-specific conservation action. Although increased knowledge and use of newly available IUCN Red List assessments for marine species can greatly improve conservation priorities for marine species in Oceania, many important fish groups are still in urgent need of assessment.

The importance of the Kruger National Park For bird conservation in the Republic of South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C Kemp
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
National Park ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Bird Conservation ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Wetland Habitats

One hundred and two species of birds that are thought to be vulnerable in South Africa have been reported from or are likely to occur within the Kruger National Park. These species are considered in relation to their distribution and status in South Africa and the neigbouring countries. The following are suggested as conservation priorities for birds in the Park: 1. Re-establish the extinct Yellow-billed Oxpecker. 2. Investigate the suite of large carnivorous and scavenging birds that have declined over much of their range elsewhere in South Africa. 3. Investigate the species associated with riparian and wetland habitats in the Park. 4. Investigate the tropical species that are confined to the Park within South Africa.

scholarly journals Conservation in Countries with Multiple Crisis Factors: The Case of Los Katios National Natural Park, a World Humanity Heritage in Danger

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 28-40
Author(s):  
Johanna Fernández B ◽  
Kirstie Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Conservation Biology ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
World Heritage ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Natural Park ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Colombian Government ◽  
Illegal Activities

Conservation biology aims to stop habitat loss and extinction of species. To achieve these goals there are several methods such as the establishment of natural reserves and national parks that in synthesis work as protected areas. However, the management of areas with high conservation priorities can be a challenge to conservation biology and all of the professionals involved in this process.The Colombian National Natural Park, Los Katios, hosts more than the 20% of Colombian biodiversity and is located in a region which is characterised as being one of the most biodiverse and endemic points on the planet. The park was declared a World Humanity Heritage Area in 1994 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and on the 8th of July 2009, the Colombian government solicited to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee the inclusion of the park on the list of World Heritage in Danger due to the pressures from illegal activities and inefficient surveillance in the area.Through the case of study of Los Katios National Natural Park, this review looks explores the extent to which the socio-economic situation and the internal crises of a country can influence the effectiveness of the conservation programs in protected areas. It also explains the relevance of National Natural Parks and the effects that some factors, such as violence; illegal crops; poverty; and environmental budget, can have on the performance of the conservation biology.This review concludes that the conservation of protected areas in countries with deep internal crises, such as in the case of Los Katios in Colombia, cannot be based solely on the fundamental conservation goals and that it is necessary to include government priorities and some strategies to counteract social issues as violence, poverty and insufficient funds when creating management plans.

scholarly journals Why and how might genetic and phylogenetic diversity be reflected in the identification of key biodiversity areas?

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1662) ◽  
pp. 20140019 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. M. Brooks ◽  
A. Cuttelod ◽  
D. P. Faith ◽  
J. Garcia-Moreno ◽  
P. Langhammer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Species Population ◽  
Threatened Taxa ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Ecosystem Diversity ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
A Site ◽  
Specific Conservation

‘Key biodiversity areas' are defined as sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity. The identification of these sites builds from existing approaches based on measures of species and ecosystem diversity and process. Here, we therefore build from the work of Sgró et al. (2011 Evol. Appl. 4 , 326–337. ( doi:10.1111/j.1752-4571.2010.00157.x )) to extend a framework for how components of genetic diversity might be considered in the identification of key biodiversity areas. We make three recommendations to inform the ongoing process of consolidating a key biodiversity areas standard: (i) thresholds for the threatened species criterion currently consider a site's share of a threatened species' population; expand these to include the proportion of the species' genetic diversity unique to a site; (ii) expand criterion for ‘threatened species' to consider ‘threatened taxa’ and (iii) expand the centre of endemism criterion to identify as key biodiversity areas those sites holding a threshold proportion of the compositional or phylogenetic diversity of species (within a taxonomic group) whose restricted ranges collectively define a centre of endemism. We also recommend consideration of occurrence of EDGE species (i.e. threatened phylogenetic diversity) in key biodiversity areas to prioritize species-specific conservation actions among sites.

The merging of taxonomy and conservation biology: a synthesis of Australian butterfly systematics (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea) for the 21st century

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2707 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL F. BRABY
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Conservation Biology ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Logistic Function ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Oceanic Islands ◽  
Scientific Discipline ◽  
Valid Species ◽  
Systematic Research

Taxonomy is a major scientific discipline that underpins the preservation of biological diversity, but the discipline of taxonomy itself has, until recently, remained somewhat disconnected from conservation biology. Checklists summarise available taxonomic and systematic knowledge and in part provide a framework to optimise efforts and scarce resources for biodiversity conservation. Butterflies have been identified as a key bioindicator group of invertebrates for monitoring, assessing environmental change and for biodiversity conservation. A revised checklist of the butterflies (Hesperioidea: Hesperiidae and Papilionoidea: Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Riodinidae, Lycaenidae) of Australia is presented, incorporating recent changes to both the higher and lower systematic levels of classification based on review of the literature, mandatory changes of specific epithets to achieve gender agreement, together with recommended common names. A total of 1,134 available species group names are listed, of which 423 are junior synonyms. Currently, 596 valid lower taxa (i.e. species and subspecies) are recognised in the fauna. Of the valid species, 430 are recorded from Australia, of which 404 occur on the mainland and Tasmania and 26 are restricted to remote oceanic islands. Gender changes affect 40 species/subspecies group names, of which 27 are valid taxa and 13 are junior synonyms. Comments are made on the size and composition of the fauna, taxonomic impediment, species concepts and utility of subspecies. Modelling the rate of species accumulation based on taxonomic research effort over the past 100 years using a generalized logistic function suggests that about 91% of the Australian butterfly fauna has been catalogued so far. A detailed review of known problems concerning the taxonomy among the lower systematic levels (i.e. genera, species and subspecies) is presented as candidates for future systematic research. Although Australian butterflies are relatively well-known taxonomically, it is estimated that there are approximately 40 species yet to be formally recorded/recognised and more than 60 problems at the lower systematic levels in which the nomenclature, taxonomic status of species/subspecies or monophyly of genera need to be resolved.

scholarly journals Bird conservation on Santa Catarina Island, Southern Brazil

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciano N. Naka ◽  
Marcos Rodrigues ◽  
Andrei L. Roos ◽  
Marcos A. G. Azevedo
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Conservation ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Santa Catarina ◽  
Habitat Specificity ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
The Government

The island of Santa Catarina lies in the Atlantic Forest Domain of southern Brazil, one of the most threatened ecosys tems on the planet. It holds a wide variety of habitats, ranging from sand dune ‘restingas’ to mature rain forest. We report, for the first time, a survey of the bird species and their conservation status for the different habitats present on the island. We recorded 269 bird species of 54 families (25 species were seabirds). More than 50% (140) of the total number of species were residents or probable residents, 20% (58) were visitors and a relatively high number of species (61, 23%) had indeterminate residential status. Nearly 15% (35 species) of the 244 landbird species observed were endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Habitat specificity was recorded for 40% (97 species). We recorded one Endangered (Solitary Tinamou Tinamus solitarius), one Vulnerable (White-necked Hawk Leucopternis lacernulata), and three Near-threatened species (Azure Jay Cyanocorax caeruleus, Azure-shouldered Tanager Thraupis cyanoptera, Black-backed Tanager Tangara peruviana). We also recorded six locally threatened species that we predict will become extinct in the near future. The future for the birds of the island is uncertain, especially for habitat specialists, due to habitat loss for resort developments, and a lack of concern by the government and local people.

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