Legal hunting for conservation of highly threatened species: The case of African rhinos

Legal hunting of highly threatened species – and especially the recreational practice of ‘trophy hunting’ – is controversial with selected ethical objections being increasingly voiced. Less attention has been paid to how hunting (even of threatened species) can be useful as a conservation tool, and likely outcomes if this was stopped. As case studies, we examine the regulated legal hunting in South Africa and Namibia of two African rhino species. Counter-intuitively, removing a small number of specific males can enhance population demography and genetic diversity, encourage range expansion, and generate meaningful socio-economic benefits to help fund effective conservation (facilitated by appropriate local institutional arrangements). Legal hunting of these species has been sustainable, as very small proportions of the populations of both species are hunted each year, and numbers of both today are higher in these countries than when controlled recreational hunting began. Terminating this management option and funding source could have negative consequences at a time when rhinos are being increasingly viewed as liabilities and COVID-19 has significantly impacted revenue generation for wildlife areas. Provided that there is appropriate governance and management, conservation of certain highly threatened species can be supported by cautiously selective and limited legal hunting.

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Large numbers of vertebrates began rapid population decline in the late 19th century

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1616804113 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 113 (49) ◽

pp. 14079-14084 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Haipeng Li ◽

Jinggong Xiang-Yu ◽

Guangyi Dai ◽

Zhili Gu ◽

Chen Ming ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Size ◽

Threatened Species ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Population Decline ◽

Cumulative Effect ◽

Extinction Time ◽

Time Period ◽

Large Numbers ◽

The Difference

Accelerated losses of biodiversity are a hallmark of the current era. Large declines of population size have been widely observed and currently 22,176 species are threatened by extinction. The time at which a threatened species began rapid population decline (RPD) and the rate of RPD provide important clues about the driving forces of population decline and anticipated extinction time. However, these parameters remain unknown for the vast majority of threatened species. Here we analyzed the genetic diversity data of nuclear and mitochondrial loci of 2,764 vertebrate species and found that the mean genetic diversity is lower in threatened species than in related nonthreatened species. Our coalescence-based modeling suggests that in many threatened species the RPD began ∼123 y ago (a 95% confidence interval of 20–260 y). This estimated date coincides with widespread industrialization and a profound change in global living ecosystems over the past two centuries. On average the population size declined by ∼25% every 10 y in a threatened species, and the population size was reduced to ∼5% of its ancestral size. Moreover, the ancestral size of threatened species was, on average, ∼22% smaller than that of nonthreatened species. Because the time period of RPD is short, the cumulative effect of RPD on genetic diversity is still not strong, so that the smaller ancestral size of threatened species may be the major cause of their reduced genetic diversity; RPD explains 24.1–37.5% of the difference in genetic diversity between threatened and nonthreatened species.

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Selective Diversification of Aquaculture Stocks: A Proposal for Economically Sustainable Genetic Conservation

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f91-313 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 48 (S1) ◽

pp. 148-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

R. W. Doyle ◽

N. L. Shackel ◽

Z. Basiao ◽

S. Uraiwan ◽

T. Matricia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

National Level ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Conservation Strategy ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Production Traits ◽

Local Environments ◽

Genotype Frequencies ◽

Genetic Impact ◽

Breeding Programmes

The genetic diversity of aquaculture stocks can be maintained, and their genetic impact on wild stocks minimized, by breeding programmes that deliberately generate genetic diversity. Current animal breeding practices are likely to reduce the diversity of domestic stocks if they are extended to aquaculture. It is proposed that national breeding programmes for aquaculture should, instead, try to develop numerous breeds specially adapted to local environments and aquaculture systems. An economic model is presented of decision-making by individual farmers who, in choosing which breed to produce, determine the "fitness" of the breeds in a meta-population that includes all breeds. As long as strong genotype-environment interaction for production traits is maintained by artificial selection, the economic self-interest of farmers should ensure the stability of genetic polymorphisms among breeds. Genetic variation would be conserved (in the among-breed component of genetic diversity) but not the primordial distribution of gene and genotype frequencies. Economic benefits to farmers, plus a high return on investment at the national or supra-national level, makes breed diversification an attractive conservation strategy even though it is admittedly a compromise from a purely genetic viewpoint.

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NETWORKING AS A COMPONENT OF FORMING SOCIAL CAPITAL: THE ECONOMIC ASPECT

International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science ◽

10.31435/rsglobal_ijitss/30122020/7289 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Zoia Halushka ◽

Nafus Inna

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Social Networks ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Economic Importance ◽

Economic Aspect ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Network Approach ◽

Service Oriented

The article analyzes the nature and economic importance of social networks as one of the components of social capital. It is shown that the economic component of social capital is associated with the ability to obtain certain economic benefits from its use. Mechanisms for the accumulation of social capital contain the involvement in these processes of all its components - trust, norms, values, social networks. The network approach of J. Coleman to substantiation of economic essence of social capital is analyzed. The necessity, possibility and directions of influence of social networks on formation and increase of efficiency of social capital have been proved. The types of social networks and the possibilities of their influence on creation of connecting, horizontally-integrating and vertically integrating social capital are revealed. The rating of social networks and examples of their use to increase the efficiency of functioning of social capital are given. It is proved that networks are formed not chaotically, but purposefully, given the subjective vision of the feasibility of such interaction, and their use can have both positive and negative consequences. The possibility of using social networks to form a service-oriented state is indicated.

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The genetic diversity and population structure of two endemic Amazonian quillwort (Isoetes L.) species

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.10274 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e10274 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mirella Pupo Santos ◽

João V.S. Rabelo Araujo ◽

Arthur V. Sant’anna Lopes ◽

Julio Cesar Fiorio Vettorazzi ◽

Marcela Santana Bastos Boechat ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Inter Simple Sequence Repeat ◽

Shannon Index ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Amazon Forest ◽

Mass Extinctions ◽

Effective Conservation

Background Two endemic lycophyte species Isoetes cangae and Isoetes serracarajensis have been recently described in the State of Pará in the Amazon forest located in northern Brazil. Isoetes L. has survived through three mass extinctions. Plants are considered small-sized, heterosporous, and can display a great diversity of physiological adaptations to different environments. Thus, the current study aimed to estimate the genetic variation of the populations of I. cangae and I. serracarajensis to generate information about their different mechanisms for survival at the same geographical location that could point to different reproductive, adaptative and dispersal strategies and should be considered for effective conservation strategies. Methods The genetic diversity and population structure of I. cangae and I. serracarajensis were investigated using Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) molecular markers. Total genomic DNA was isolated, and the genetic diversity parameters were calculated. Results The sixteen primers produced 115 reproducible bands, 87% of which were polymorphic. A high level of polymorphic loci (81.74% and 68.48%) and a high Shannon index (Sh = 0.376 and 0.289) were observed for I. cangae and I. serracarajensis, respectively. The coefficient of genetic differentiation between population areas (GST) showed a higher value in I. serracarajensis (0.5440). Gene flow was higher in I. cangae (1.715) and lower in I. serracarajensis populations (0.419). Overall, the results further show that I. serracarajensis and I. cangae are two species with considerable genetic variation and that these differences may reflect their habitats and modes of reproduction. These results should be considered in the development of effective conservation strategies for both species.

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

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2014.0019 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 370 (1662) ◽

pp. 20140019 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

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.

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Population Genomics of Bettongia lesueur: Admixing Increases Genetic Diversity with no Evidence of Outbreeding Depression

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes10110851 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 851 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kate Rick ◽

Kym Ottewell ◽

Cheryl Lohr ◽

Rujiporn Thavornkanlapachai ◽

Margaret Byrne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Threatened Species ◽

Population Genomics ◽

Fold Increase ◽

Recruitment Rate ◽

Outbreeding Depression ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Isolated Populations ◽

Genomic Markers ◽

Founder Populations

Small and isolated populations are subject to the loss of genetic variation as a consequence of inbreeding and genetic drift, which in turn, can affect the fitness and long-term viability of populations. Translocations can be used as an effective conservation tool to combat this loss of genetic diversity through establishing new populations of threatened species, and to increase total population size. Releasing animals from multiple genetically diverged sources is one method to optimize genetic diversity in translocated populations. However, admixture as a conservation tool is rarely utilized due to the risks of outbreeding depression. Using high-resolution genomic markers through double-digest restriction site-associated sequencing (ddRAD-seq) and life history data collected over nine years of monitoring, this study investigates the genetic and fitness consequences of admixing two genetically-distinct subspecies of Bettongia lesueur in a conservation translocation. Using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified from 215 individuals from multiple generations, we found an almost 2-fold increase in genetic diversity in the admixed translocation population compared to the founder populations, and this was maintained over time. Furthermore, hybrid class did not significantly impact on survivorship or the recruitment rate and therefore we found no indication of outbreeding depression. This study demonstrates the beneficial application of mixing multiple source populations in the conservation of threatened species for minimizing inbreeding and enhancing adaptive potential and overall fitness.

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The genetic diversity and distinctiveness of the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby Petrogale xanthopus (Gray, 1854) in New South Wales

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc980164 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 164 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Lisa C. Pope ◽

Andy Sharp ◽

Craig Moritz

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Threatened Species ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Species Conservation ◽

Habitat Disturbance ◽

European Settlement ◽

South Wales ◽

Feral Animals ◽

Species Being

Yellow-footed Rock-wallabies (YFRW) Petrogale xanthopus have declined in numbers since European settlement from past hunting for skins, habitat disturbance and predation and competition with feral animals (Gordon et al. 1978, 1993; Copley 1983; Henzell 1990). This has led to the species being classed as potentially vulnerable to extinction in Australia (Kennedy 1992), and endangered in New South Wales (Schedule 1, Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995).

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