A multicriteria decision making approach to prioritise vascular plants for species-based conservation

Liu, Udayangani; Kenney, Siobhan; Breman, Elinor; Cossu, Tiziana Antonella

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2019.03.014

Cited by 19 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Apart from the need of a nationwide partial redesign of the Natura 2000 PA network [ 51 , 78 ] by e.g., establishing Key Biodiversity Areas [ 113 , 114 , 115 ] that might complement the existing PA network, further steps regarding conservation actions in Greece should include: (a) surveys on threatened taxa with respect to climate change, food security, genetic resources loss, ecosystem services loss, (b) active involvement of the National herbaria, creating the necessary bridge between taxonomic collections and conservation [ 111 ], and (c) dissemination of the scientific knowledge via the communication of the extinction risk impact on human prosperity and well-being, in order to reach the top of the local, regional and national policy agenda. Moreover, the information presented here can be incorporated in various prioritization schemes at local, national and global level (see also [ 116 ]). The supplementary provision of the spatial distribution data for taxa included in the catalogue, can provide direct input to the zonation methodology for the Natura 2000 PA network for the relevant area prioritization process, which is ongoing in Greece and deals with crucial trade-offs among land uses and human-nature interaction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Threatened species lists, as the one provided here, fulfil important political, social and scientific needs in biodiversity conservation. Nevertheless, it is naïve and counterproductive to use them in isolation when allocating resources for conservation [ 116 , 118 ]. The most frequent case is that decision making on conservation management deals with a variety of trade-offs including socio-economic, socio-cultural, and socio-ecological factors and thus all conservation goals can be rarely achieved simultaneously [ 119 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Extinction Risk Assessment of the Greek Endemic Flora

Kougioumoutzis

Kokkoris

Panitsa

et al. 2021

Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Human-induced biodiversity decline has been on the rise for the past 250 years, due to various causes. What is equally troubling, is that we are unaware which plants are threatened and where they occur. Thus, we are far from reaching Aichi Biodiversity Target 2, i.e., assessing the extinction risk of most species. To that end, based on an extensive occurrence dataset, we performed an extinction risk assessment according to the IUCN Criteria A and B for all the endemic plant taxa occurring in Greece, one of the most biodiverse countries in Europe, in a phylogenetically-informed framework and identified the areas needing conservation prioritization. Several of the Greek endemics are threatened with extinction and fourteen endemics need to be prioritized, as they are evolutionary distinct and globally endangered. Mt. Gramos is identified as the most important conservation hotspot in Greece. However, a significant portion of the identified conservation hotspots is not included in any designated Greek protected area, meaning that the Greek protected areas network might need to be at least partially redesigned. In the Anthropocene era, where climate and land-use change are projected to alter biodiversity patterns and may force many species to extinction, our assessment provides the baseline for future conservation research, ecosystem services maintenance, and might prove crucial for the timely, systematic and effective aversion of plant extinctions in Greece.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extinction Risk Assessment of the Greek Endemic Flora

Kougioumoutzis

Kokkoris

Panitsa

et al. 2021

Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The literature suggests that a suitable umbrella species should have a large geographic range with spatial overlap with its guildmates, sufficiently overlapping niche with those guildmates, and ideally with existing protections [50]. Many species fit only one or two of these criteria.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Species should also select habitat (in this case, roost trees) with similar characteristics as their focal group [19,49]. From a practical standpoint, species that already carry conservation protections may be effective umbrella species if they satisfy the above-mentioned spatial and niche overlap criteria [50]. We, therefore, evaluated the conservation umbrella potential of the thirteen species in this study based on three criteria: (1) existing regulatory protection; (2) degree of niche overlap; and (3) degree of spatial overlap.…”

Section: Assessment Of Potential Umbrella Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic Review of the Roost-Site Characteristics of North American Forest Bats: Implications for Conservation

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Continued declines in North American bat populations can be largely attributed to habitat loss, disease, and wind turbines. These declines can be partially mitigated through actions that boost reproductive success; therefore, management aimed at promoting availability of high-quality roosting habitat is an important conservation goal. Following the principles of the umbrella species concept, if co-occurring species share similar roost-tree preferences, then management practices targeting one species may confer conservation benefits to another. We conducted a systematic review of roost-site characteristics of thirteen species inhabiting eastern temperate forests to: (1) synthesize existing knowledge across species; (2) assess niche overlap among co-occurring species; and (3) evaluate the potential for currently protected species to serve as conservation umbrellas. We performed multivariate ordination techniques to group species based on the seven most-reported roost-site characteristics, including tree species, diameter at breast height, tree health, roost type, tree height, canopy closure, and roost height. Species sorted into three roosting guilds: (1) southern wetland inhabitants; (2) foliage specialists; and (3) dead tree generalists. Myotis septentrionalis and Perimyotis subflavus had significant roost-niche overlap with five and four other species respectively, and their existing protections make them suitable umbrellas for other bats in the North American eastern temperate forests.

show abstract

“…Nonetheless, specific plant populations, including landraces, which may have unique climatic and environmental tolerances, and upon which human communities may depend, might still be threatened. Therefore, future conservation priorities should reflect assessments at the global level, and, for narrow distributed species, at the national level (Forest et al., 2018; Liu, Kenney, Breman, & Cossu, 2019).…”

Section: The Global State Of Edible Plants and Major Food Cropsmentioning

confidence: 99%