Conservation resource allocation, small population resiliency, and the fallacy of conservation triage

Wiedenfeld, David A.; Alberts, Allison C.; Angulo, Ariadne; Bennett, Elizabeth L.; Byers, Onnie; Contreras‐MacBeath, Topiltzin; Drummond, Gláucia Marie; Fonseca, Gustavo; Gascon, Claude; Harrison, Ian; Heard, Nicolas; Hochkirch, Axel; Konstant, William R.; Langhammer, Penny F.; Langrand, Olivier; Launay, Frédéric; Lebbin, Daniel J.; Lieberman, Susan; Long, Barney; Lü, Zhi; Maunder, Michael; Mittermeier, Russell A.; Molur, Sanjay; Mubarak, Razan Khalifa Al; Parr, Michael J.; Ratsimbazafy, Jonah; Rhodin, Anders G. J.; Rylands, Anthony B.; Sanderson, Jim; Sechrest, Wes; Soorae, Pritpal S.; Supriatna, Jatna; Upgren, Amy; Vié, Jean‐Christophe; Zhang, Li

doi:10.1111/cobi.13696

Cited by 35 publications

(30 citation statements)

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“…A central question for populations that have undergone severe declines is whether recovery is possible or whether it may be hindered by deleterious genetic factors ( 1 ). Perhaps the most immediate genetic threat in populations of very small size (<25 individuals) is the deterioration of fitness as a result of inbreeding depression ( 2 , 3 ).…”

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The critically endangered vaquita is not doomed to extinction by inbreeding depression

Robinson

Kyriazis

Nigenda‐Morales

et al. 2022

Science

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In cases of severe wildlife population decline, a key question is whether recovery efforts will be impeded by genetic factors, such as inbreeding depression. Decades of excess mortality from gillnet fishing have driven Mexico’s vaquita porpoise ( Phocoena sinus ) to ~10 remaining individuals. We analyzed whole-genome sequences from 20 vaquitas and integrated genomic and demographic information into stochastic, individual-based simulations to quantify the species’ recovery potential. Our analysis suggests that the vaquita’s historical rarity has resulted in a low burden of segregating deleterious variation, reducing the risk of inbreeding depression. Similarly, genome-informed simulations suggest that the vaquita can recover if bycatch mortality is immediately halted. This study provides hope for vaquitas and other naturally rare endangered species and highlights the utility of genomics in predicting extinction risk.

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“…A recent viability analysis found that the vaquita population could theoretically rebound if bycatch mortality is eliminated ( 6 ). However, the degree to which genetic factors may prevent a robust recovery is unknown, which has led some to argue that the species is doomed to extinction from genetic threats ( 1 , 7 , 8 ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The critically endangered vaquita is not doomed to extinction by inbreeding depression

Robinson

Kyriazis

Nigenda‐Morales

et al. 2022

Science

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“…While controversial, some have argued for shifting conservation efforts away from areas with functionally extinct species and redirecting them toward regions where amphibians have a more reasonable chance of long-term persistence (Gerber, 2016). As no amount of human-caused extinction is obviously desirable, however, we recommend that this "conservation triage" approach only be undertaken when all other viable options have been exhausted (Wiedenfeld et al, 2021). This "need" could quickly be rendered obsolete if social and economic barriers to the funding of amphibian conservation were removed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An integrative synthesis to global amphibian conservation priorities

Button

Borzée

2021

Global Change Biology

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Human activities are driving many species to the brink of extinction, and the current distribution of protected areas only weakly alleviates pressure on threatened species. This discrepancy reflects the presence of protected areas on lands available instead of the ecological, evolutionary, or conservation values of species present. Habitat loss consequently continues to impact threatened species, as illustrated by geographic patterns of biodiversity loss for amphibians. Given the need to better align the boundaries of protected areas with at‐risk biodiversity, we assessed the importance of various factors for identifying global and biome‐level conservation priority areas, specifically for amphibians. We identified, mapped, and ranked areas of critical conservation importance for all amphibian species on earth using a new integrative tool that scores the urgency of conserving each species and location based on a combination of species characteristics and ecoregion‐level human impacts. Our integrative approach is novel in that it accounts for likely threats to Data Deficient species, considers the irreplaceability of unique species that are phylogenetically isolated, and addresses the localized conservation implications of species endemicity and projected future human impacts to an ecoregion. For comparison, we also mapped and ranked amphibian biodiversity using species richness and an Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) score proxy. Our integrative approach predicted key regions for amphibian conservation that were not apparent when using a simple species richness or EDGE score proxy‐based approach. Furthermore, by scaling conservation priority scores relative to biome, we identified several temperate and xeric regions of crucial yet overlooked conservation importance for amphibians. Until global amphibian diversity is thoroughly catalogued, we recommend using our integrative scoring approach to set geographic priorities for amphibian habitat protection, while acknowledging that this approach may be complemented by others (e.g., EDGE scores). Our study provides an avenue for avoiding common pitfalls of more simplistic species richness‐based approaches for conservation planning, and can be used to improve the future design of protected areas.

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“…Although there is no universally agreed metric for measuring effectiveness in conservation, databases and reviews of effectiveness information can be harnessed (e.g., Conservation Evidence, CEE), as can bespoke monitoring to obtain effectiveness data (e.g., see box 1 ). We encourage practitioners and academics to deploy these tools in conservation settings (Cook et al 2017 ) while being vigilant that cost-effectiveness is not the only factor important for decision-making (Weidenfield et al 2021 ) and that such analyses can mask important variation in the distribution of costs and benefits to different stakeholders (Waldron et al 2020 ).…”

Section: Improving the Reporting And Use Of Cost Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

What is the Price of Conservation? A Review of the Status Quo and Recommendations for Improving Cost Reporting

et al. 2022

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Wildlife conservation is severely limited by funding. Therefore, to maximize biodiversity outcomes, assessing financial costs of interventions is as important as assessing effectiveness. We reviewed the reporting of costs in studies testing the effectiveness of conservation interventions: 13.3% of the studies provided numeric costs, and 8.8% reported total costs. Even fewer studies broke down these totals into constituent costs, making it difficult to assess the relevance of costs to different contexts. Cost reporting differed between continents and the taxa or habitats targeted by interventions, with higher cost reporting in parts of the Global South. A further analysis of data focused on mammals identified that interventions related to agriculture, invasive species, transport, and residential development reported costs more frequently. We identify opportunities for conservationists to improve future practice through encouraging systematic reporting and collation of intervention costs, using economic evaluation tools, and increasing understanding and skills in finance and economics.

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Conservation resource allocation, small population resiliency, and the fallacy of conservation triage

Abstract: Article impact statement: Conservation triage is not necessary for species conservation. Adequate resources exist; even species with small populations can recover.

Cited by 35 publications

References 36 publications

The critically endangered vaquita is not doomed to extinction by inbreeding depression

The critically endangered vaquita is not doomed to extinction by inbreeding depression

An integrative synthesis to global amphibian conservation priorities

What is the Price of Conservation? A Review of the Status Quo and Recommendations for Improving Cost Reporting

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