A horizon scan of global conservation issues for 2010

Sutherland, William J.; Clout, Mick N.; Côté, Isabelle M.; Daszak, Peter; Depledge, Michael H.; Fellman, Liz; Fleishman, Erica; Garthwaite, Rachel; Gibbons, David W.; Lurio, Jennifer De; Impey, Andrew J.; Lickorish, Fiona A.; Lindenmayer, David B.; Madgwick, Jane; Margerison, Ceri; Maynard, Trevor; Peck, Lloyd S.; Pretty, Jules; Prior, Stephanie; Redford, Kent H.; Scharlemann, Jörn P. W.; Spalding, Mark; Watkinson, Andrew R.

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2009.10.003

Cited by 346 publications

(195 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…As information on the realized outcomes of these trends and actions becomes available, the assessments of risk posed by inadvertent introductions can be adapted. By delivering comprehensive evaluations of human-associated propagule pressure and establishment likelihood, differentiated by spatial location and visitor category, our study offers an effective basis for management interventions to mitigate the risks of establishment of nonindigenous species across the entire Antarctic continent, a region of growing international political and biological interest (3,6,15,33,34). It indicates those visitor groups and areas for which biosecurity measures should be most stringent, those where controls might be less pronounced, and how the spatial arrangement of these areas is likely to change through time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continent-wide risk assessment for the establishment of nonindigenous species in Antarctica

Chown

Huiskes

Gremmen

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

305

322

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International audienceInvasive alien species are among the primary causes of biodiversity change globally, with the risks there of broadly understood for most regions of the world. They are similarly thought to be among the most significant conservation threats to Antarctica, especially as climate change proceeds in the region. However, no comprehensive, continent-wide evaluation of the risks to Antarctica posed by such species has been undertaken. Here we do so by sampling, identifying, and mapping the vascular plant propagules carried by all categories of visitors to Antarctica during the International Polar Year's first season (2007-2008) and assessing propagule establishment likelihood based on their identity and origins and on spatial variation in Antarctica's climate. For an evaluation of the situation in 2100, we use modeled climates based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Special Report on Emissions Scenarios Scenario A1B [Nakicenovic N, Swart R, eds (2000) Special Report on Emissions Scenarios: A Special Report of Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK)]. Visitors carrying seeds average 9.5 seeds per person, although as vectors, scientists carry greater propagule loads than tourists. Annual tourist numbers (∼33,054) are higher than those of scientists (∼7,085), thus tempering these differences in propagule load. Alien species establishment is currently most likely for the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Recent founder populations of several alien species in this area corroborate these findings. With climate change, risks will grow in the Antarctic Peninsula, Ross Sea, and East Antarctic coastal regions. Our evidence-based assessment demonstrates which parts of Antarctica are at growing risk from alien species that may become invasive and provides the means to mitigate this threat now and into the future as the continent's climate changes

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continent-wide risk assessment for the establishment of nonindigenous species in Antarctica

Chown

Huiskes

Gremmen

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

305

322

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“…[13,14]). An obvious reason for this disconnect is that many of the pressing conservation issues (e.g., [15,16]) simply do not need genomics, but instead need political will.…”

Section: Conservation Biology and Genomicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomics and the challenging translation into conservation practice

Shafer¹,

Wolf²,

Alves³

et al. 2015

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

468

470

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The global loss of biodiversity continues at an alarming rate. Genomic approaches have been suggested as a promising tool for conservation practice, and we discuss how scaling-up to genome-wide inference can benefit traditional conservation genetic approaches and provide qualitatively novel insights. Yet, the generation of genomic data and subsequent analyses and interpretations are still challenging and largely confined to academic research in ecology and 20evolution. This generates a gap between basic research and applicable solutions for conservation managers faced with multifaceted problems. Before the real-world conservation potential of genomic research can be realized, we suggest that current infrastructures need to be modified, methods must mature, analytical pipelines need to be developed, and successful case studies must be disseminated to practitioners. 3 Conservation biology and genomicsLike most of the life sciences, conservation biology is being confronted with the challenge of how to integrate the collection and analysis of large-scale genomic data into its toolbox. Conservation biologists pull from a wide array of disciplines in an effort to preserve biodiversity and ecosystem services [1]. Genetic data have helped in this regard by 30 detecting, for example, population substructure, measuring genetic connectivity, and identifying potential risks associated with demographic change and inbreeding [2]. Traditionally, conservation genetics (see Glossary) has relied on a handful of molecular markers ranging from a few allozymes to dozens of microsatellites [3]. But for close to a decade [4], genomics -broadly defined high-throughput sampling of nucleic acids [5] -has been touted as an important advancement to the field, a panacea of sorts for the unresolved conservation problems typically addressed 35 with genetic data [6,7]. This transition has led to much promise, but also hyperbole, where concrete empirical examples of genomic data having a conservation impact remain rare.Under the premise that assisting conservation of the world's biota is its ultimate purpose, the emerging field of conservation genomics must openly and pragmatically discuss its potential contribution towards this goal. While there 40are prominent examples where genetic approaches have made inroads influencing conservation efforts (e.g., Florida panther augmentation [8,9]) and wildlife enforcement (i.e., detecting illegal harvest [10]), it is not immediately clear that the conservation community and society more broadly have embraced genomics as a useful tool for conservation.Maintaining genetic diversity has largely been an afterthought when it comes to national biodiversity policies [11,12], and attempts to identify areas that might prove to be essential for conserving biological diversity rarely mention 45 genomics (e.g. [13,14]). An obvious reason for this disconnect is that many of the pressing conservation issues (e.g., [15,16]) simply do not need genomics, but instead need political will.The traditional use of gene...

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“…It is widely acknowledged that invasive species represent one of the major threats to global biodiversity and ecosystem function (Vitousek et al 1997, Sala et al 2000, Sutherland et al 2010). Many of the processes through which invasive species impact on native species are poorly understood and yet our ability to mitigate the impacts of invasion, and to pre-empt future invasions, is contingent upon such knowledge (Gurevitch and Padilla 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat and body size effects on the isotopic niche space of invasive lionfish and endangered Nassau grouper

et al. 2014

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Abstract. Species invasions are a significant threat to global biodiversity and ecosystem function, and yet our knowledge of consequences for native species remains poor. The problem is exacerbated in highly speciose ecosystems like coral reefs. The invasion of the wider Caribbean by predatory lionfish (Pterois spp.) is one of the most successful marine colonizations ever documented, and its impact is anticipated to be substantial on native species. However, despite the ecological and commercial importance of iconic Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus), the impacts of the invasion on this IUCN Red-Listed species remain unexamined. Using data gathered from two critical habitats in the Bahamas, we investigate isotopic niche space overlap between lionfish, Nassau grouper and putative prey species. Despite their relatively small body size, we find that lionfish occupy the highest isotopic niche position on patch reefs, occupying much of the same space as the native apex predator. Contrary to expectation, lionfish trophic level (d 15 N) does not increase with body size, contrasting with confamilials in their native range. However, we find that tissue carbon (d 13 C) changes systematically with body size on deep forereef habitats, representing a lengthspecific shift in food resources, with smaller individuals partitioning resources from larger individuals in this habitat but not on shallow patch reefs. We conclude that, despite the difference in body size, lionfish are capable of directly competing for food resources with Nassau grouper, and that impacts on guilds such as planktivores and invertivores may vary systematically by habitat. Our study contributes to the growing body of research aimed at understanding how a species that is relatively rare in its native range achieved the most successful fish invasion ever documented.

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A horizon scan of global conservation issues for 2010

Cited by 346 publications

References 58 publications

Continent-wide risk assessment for the establishment of nonindigenous species in Antarctica

Continent-wide risk assessment for the establishment of nonindigenous species in Antarctica

Genomics and the challenging translation into conservation practice

Habitat and body size effects on the isotopic niche space of invasive lionfish and endangered Nassau grouper

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