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
Population declines have previously been reported for at least 31 amphibian species in Brazil, in the families Leptodactylidae (19), Hylidae (7), Centrolenidae (2), Dendrobatidae (2), and Bufonidae (1). In five Brazilian museum collections, we found no entries of new records dating back to at least 15 yr ago for 13 of these species. We suggest that these taxa be studied in more detail to verify their status and to generate basic ecological data. Museum data indicate that the remaining species have been recently found in areas of reported crashes, or elsewhere. Several apparent declines in Brazil can be associated with habitat loss, interspecific interactions, natural fluctuations, or lack of intensive sampling. Personal observations and field data also indicate possible declines in the states of Paraná and Ceará as well as in highlands within the Cerrado biome, in the state of Minas Gerais. Records suggest declines of montane and stream‐associated populations of Brazilian amphibians in apparently pristine habitats. Field work is necessary to confirm these cases and to examine whether factors associated with similar extinctions in other parts of the globe—such as pathogens and climate change—are also related to local disappearances. To clarify pending questions and perhaps circumvent new cases, it is important to invest in short‐ and long‐term field studies, and in the maintenance and expansion of museum collections.
Brazil is the world leader in amphibian diversity, with 765 species, most of which have been described in the last 40 years. The Brazilian Official List of Threatened Species and the results of a workshop for the Global Amphibian Assessment indicate that 26 species are threatened. The majority of these occur in the Atlantic Forest, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. The main threat to amphibians is the destruction of their habitats through deforestation, conversion into agricultural land, mining, wildfires, and infrastructure development and urbanization. In Brazil little is known about other causes of amphibian decline observed worldwide, such as pesticides, infectious diseases, climate change, invasive species, or wildlife trade. Brazilian conservation policies include such important legal instruments as the Official List of Threatened Species and the selection of priority areas for conservation measures in all of Brazil's major biomes. Although there is little information on geographic distributions and the natural history and ecology of the large majority of the currently recognized species, a number of important regional studies for amphibian conservation are under way. New species are discovered each year. Conservación de Anfibios BrasileñosResumen: Brasil es el líder mundial en diversidad de anfibios, con 765 especies, la mayoría de las cuales han sido descritas en losúltimos 40 años. La Lista Brasileña Oficial de Especies Amenazadas y los resultados de un taller para la Evaluación Global de Anfibios indican que 26 especies están amenazadas, la mayoría de ellas ocurre en el Bosque Atlántico, uno de los sitios de importancia para la biodiversidad global. La principal amenaza a los anfibios es la destrucción de sus hábitats por la deforestación, conversión a tierras agrícolas, minería, fuego no controlado, desarrollo de infraestructura y urbanización. En Brasil se conoce poco sobre otras causas de la declinación de anfibios observadas en todo el mundo, como pesticidas, enfermedades infecciosas, cambio climático, especies invasoras o comercio de vida silvestre. Las políticas Brasileñas de conservación incluyen importantes instrumentos legales como la Lista Oficial de Especies Amenazadas y la selección dé areas prioritarias para la conservación en todos lo biomas principales de Brasil. Existe escasa información sobre la distribución geográfica y la historia natural y ecología de la gran mayoría de las especies reconocidas actualmente, aunque se está desarrollando un importante número de estudios regionales para la conservación de anfibios. Cada año se descubren nuevas especies. Species DiversityFrom the 1960s to the present, 313 species of Brazilian amphibians were described, doubling the number described in the previous 200 years. Ninety-seven species have been described in the last 10 years. (This includes only species with Brazilian type localities, not those de-
Aim Scenarios of species extinction have been created to assess how the loss of species affects the loss of evolutionary history (EH). However, estimates of the rate of EH loss at regional scales are scarce. Here we provide the first estimate of projected EH loss of New World anurans encompassing both continental and regional scales. Location New World. Methods We implemented two distinct extinction scenarios to investigate variations in rates of EH loss, contrasted through a suboptimality index. The analytical procedure was carried out on a continental scale, comprising all 3017 New World anuran species, and on a regional scale, for each of the 3858 cells of the grid, according to the species assemblage within each cell. Results About 64% of the EH of the New World anurans would still exist even if half of the New World anurans go extinct, regardless of whether extinction is random or threatened species go extinct first. The extinction of all 951 threatened anuran species in the New World, or the same number of species chosen randomly from the 3017 total, would cause similar loss of EH. However, spatially explicit analyses that account for idiosyncrasies in the phylogenetic structure and threat status of each regional assemblage show that EH loss caused by extinction of threatened species is uneven across the continent. Main conclusions Conservation strategies that aim to mitigate pressures on EH loss must be designed with a focus on regional spatial scales, in order to embody the phylogenetic structure and threat status of species that are particular to each assemblage.
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