Amazonian biodiversity: assessing conservation priorities with taxonomic data

Kress, W. John; Heyer, W. Ronald; Acevedo, Pedro J.; Coddington, Jonathan A.; Cole, Daniel G.; Erwin, Terry L.; Meggers, Betty J.; Pogue, Michael G.; Thorington, Richard W.; Vari, Richard P.; Weitzman, Marilyn J.; Weitzman, Stanley H.

doi:10.1023/a:1008889803319

Cited by 107 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In light of our precautions, we consider the field analyses and conclusions to be as reliable and conservative as possible (see Text S1 for more details on uncertainty in the data). With regard to the extent and boundaries of the quadruple richness center, we also must acknowledge the uneven sampling across Amazonia [5], [100], [105], [106]. Yet the most standardized and therefore definitive field inventory comparisons of Yasuní's local richness with other sites are those for trees and shrubs (Table 4, [23], [98], [100], [101]), birds [72]–[75], and bats [85].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Conservation Significance of Ecuador's Yasuní National Park

Bass¹,

Finer²,

Jenkins³

et al. 2010

PLoS ONE

356

296

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BackgroundThe threats facing Ecuador's Yasuní National Park are emblematic of those confronting the greater western Amazon, one of the world's last high-biodiversity wilderness areas. Notably, the country's second largest untapped oil reserves—called “ITT”—lie beneath an intact, remote section of the park. The conservation significance of Yasuní may weigh heavily in upcoming state-level and international decisions, including whether to develop the oil or invest in alternatives.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe conducted the first comprehensive synthesis of biodiversity data for Yasuní. Mapping amphibian, bird, mammal, and plant distributions, we found eastern Ecuador and northern Peru to be the only regions in South America where species richness centers for all four taxonomic groups overlap. This quadruple richness center has only one viable strict protected area (IUCN levels I–IV): Yasuní. The park covers just 14% of the quadruple richness center's area, whereas active or proposed oil concessions cover 79%. Using field inventory data, we compared Yasuní's local (alpha) and landscape (gamma) diversity to other sites, in the western Amazon and globally. These analyses further suggest that Yasuní is among the most biodiverse places on Earth, with apparent world richness records for amphibians, reptiles, bats, and trees. Yasuní also protects a considerable number of threatened species and regional endemics.Conclusions/SignificanceYasuní has outstanding global conservation significance due to its extraordinary biodiversity and potential to sustain this biodiversity in the long term because of its 1) large size and wilderness character, 2) intact large-vertebrate assemblage, 3) IUCN level-II protection status in a region lacking other strict protected areas, and 4) likelihood of maintaining wet, rainforest conditions while anticipated climate change-induced drought intensifies in the eastern Amazon. However, further oil development in Yasuní jeopardizes its conservation values. These findings form the scientific basis for policy recommendations, including stopping any new oil activities and road construction in Yasuní and creating areas off-limits to large-scale development in adjacent northern Peru.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Conservation Significance of Ecuador's Yasuní National Park

Bass¹,

Finer²,

Jenkins³

et al. 2010

PLoS ONE

356

296

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Many important policy decisionsfor example sites and extents of priority areas for conservation actionare based on patterns of species richness and endemism (Kress et al, 1998;Funk et al, 1999;Lobo, 2008). Many important policy decisionsfor example sites and extents of priority areas for conservation actionare based on patterns of species richness and endemism (Kress et al, 1998;Funk et al, 1999;Lobo, 2008).…”

Section: Digital Accessible Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Completeness of digital accessible knowledge of the plants of Brazil and priorities for survey and inventory

Sousa‐Baena

Garcia

Peterson

2013

Diversity and Distributions

162

200

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Aim Biodiversity information is the focus of major initiatives aimed at assembling large-scale primary-data documentation ('digital accessible knowledge') of the distribution of life on Earth. Recent efforts within Brazil have assembled a massive amount of such documentation for Brazilian plants, which we analyse in this study. Our aim is to identify areas representing gaps in current knowledge; these gaps can guide future botanical exploration and discovery in Brazil. Location Brazil.Methods We assessed angiosperm inventories across Brazil at diverse spatial scales using statistics that summarize inventory completeness. In particular, we assess the completeness of geographical knowledge of Brazilian floras as measured in terms of geographical distance and climatic difference from welldocumented sites.Results Spatial knowledge of Brazilian angiosperms is very unevenly distributed: well-known sites are concentrated in eastern and southern regions, whereas the remainder of the country remains poorly documented. Worse still, in many regions, areas lacking detailed botanical documentation coincide with areas of intense habitat destruction, such that many such sites will never be documented scientifically.Main conclusions This study illustrates how biodiversity survey and inventory efforts can be guided by existing knowledge. That is, to the extent that existing biodiversity knowledge is made digital and openly available, and to the extent that information is sufficiently comprehensive and informative, spatial summaries of completeness such as that presented here offer clear and strategic directions for maximizing the yield of new knowledge from any de novo field efforts.

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“…The deficiency in distribution data, however, has often hampered the interpretation of the high-resolution geographic distribution of biodiversity (Kreft and Jetz 2007). Recently, herbarium specimens have been given emphasis in biodiversity research and are playing a vital role in biodiversity assessment and conservation (Prendergast et al 1993;Kress et al 1998). Although biodiversity hotspots at global scales provide useful data for international cooperation in conservation, more studies at regional scales are needed to contribute to overall biodiversity conservation planning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic distribution patterns and status assessment of threatened plants in China

Zhang

2008

Biodivers Conserv

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Large scale heterogeneous distribution of biodiversity has become a hot topic for ecologists and conservationists. A threat status assessment combined with geographic distribution patterns of threatened plants in China has been conducted at a national scale in this study based upon a distribution database that refers to both specimen records and published references. Currently, 302 threatened plant species are cataloged in the ''National Protected Key Wild Plants'' in China belonging to 92 families and 194 genera. Results of the assessment according to the Categories and Criteria system of The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List indicate that three species have been assessed as Extinct in Wild (EW) while a further 79, 99 and 112 species have been assessed as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), and Vulnerable (VU), respectively. Distribution patterns of threatened plants were analyzed with GIS to identify areas of high species diversity. It was found that threatened plant species occur unevenly within counties and are concentrated in the following eight hotspots: the central and southern Hengduanshan mountain area; the southeast regions of Yunnan as well as Xishuangbanna and southwestern Guangxi; the southern Hainan island; the border mountainous regions of Guizhou, Hunan and Guangxi provinces; the mountainous regions of southwestern Hubei and northern Hunan; southwestern Zhejiang and western Fujian; central Sichuan and southern Gansu; and the western mountains of Guangdong. Moreover, the 12 counties with the greatest number of threatened plant species represent cumulatively more than 50% of the total listed species and, therefore, are the regions in China that should be prioritized for conservation efforts. By overlapping the map of threatened plant species with the distribution of national nature reserves, a gap was identified in protected areas. This research will ultimately provide insights for prioritizing biodiversity conservation as well as processing the mechanisms of distribution patterns.

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Amazonian biodiversity: assessing conservation priorities with taxonomic data

Cited by 107 publications

References 10 publications

Global Conservation Significance of Ecuador's Yasuní National Park

Global Conservation Significance of Ecuador's Yasuní National Park

Completeness of digital accessible knowledge of the plants of Brazil and priorities for survey and inventory

Geographic distribution patterns and status assessment of threatened plants in China

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