Drivers of change and conservation needs for vertebrates in drylands: an assessment from global scale to Sahara-Sahel wetlands

Brito, José Carlos; Barrio, Gabriel del; Stellmes, Marion; Pleguezuelos, Juan M.; Saarinen, Jarkko

doi:10.1080/24750263.2021.1991496

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 133 publications

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“…Unprotected sites, on the other hand, experienced a decline in diversity due to various anthropic factors, including military activities, overhunting, solid waste, tourism, and invasive species. A significant decrease in species richness and diversity is also due to the exotic species and plastic waste [75] uncontrolled tourism, military activities, and overhunting [76]. Pollution, military operation, and tourism in the Himalayas contributed to the decline of biodiversity [77].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Climatic and Anthropogenic Impacts on Phytosociological Aspects and Conservation Status of Native Flora in One of Protected and Unprotected Habitats of Cholistan Desert, Pakistan

Ahmed,

Naz,

Abdullah

et al. 2024

Pol. J. Environ. Stud.

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This study aimed to assess the long term effects of anthropogenic, climatic, edaphic, and seasonal variations on present floristic and ecological status of two distinct sites i.e., protected (Biodiversity Park) and unprotected (nearby areas) in the Derawar region of Lesser Cholistan Desert. The study was conducted for four years over a seasonal period of spring 2019 (February-March) to fall 2022 (September to October). For the exploration of maximum diversity at both sites, quadrats of 10 × 10 m were placed randomly. Ten soil, twelve anthropogenic, seven environmental and eight seasonal variables were used to assess their relationship with vegetation of both sites during four years of study. For statistical analysis, data was processed in the SPSS for LSD test and R Studio for Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and heat map preparation. A total of 84 plant species, belonging to 62 genera and 26 families, were identified in the Derawar region. Herbaceous plants comprised the majority, with 42 species, followed by grasses (22 species), shrubs (12 species), trees (7 species), and one sedge species. The protected site exhibited higher species diversity, with 76 species from 23 families, compared to the unprotected site, which had 49 species from 15 families. Species richness, Simpson index, and Shannon index showed significant declines in diversity from the protected to the unprotected site.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Climatic and Anthropogenic Impacts on Phytosociological Aspects and Conservation Status of Native Flora in One of Protected and Unprotected Habitats of Cholistan Desert, Pakistan

Ahmed,

Naz,

Abdullah

et al. 2024

Pol. J. Environ. Stud.

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“…Large-scale poaching, poisoning, and trafficking have led to the decline and eventual extinction of the elephant and large-sized Artiodactyla and Carnivora representatives [7,56]. Threats to the survival of mammals and their isolated freshwater habitats in mountains have been preliminarily identified [33,34]. However, a national list of the conservation status of the mammals of Mauritania is presently lacking.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most studies focused on amphibians and reptiles, including their diversity and distribution in the two national parks [ 28 , 29 ], inferences about their biogeographic patterns and evolutionary histories (e.g., [ 30 , 31 ]), and barcoding assessments [ 32 ]. Still, these studies are also revealing knowledge gaps and exposing severe threats to biodiversity conservation in Mauritania [ 5 , 33 , 34 ]. Mammals in particular remain one of the least studied groups in the country.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity, distribution and conservation of land mammals in Mauritania, North-West Africa

Brito

Sow²,

Vale

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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Detailed knowledge about biodiversity distribution is critical for monitoring the biological effects of global change processes. Biodiversity knowledge gaps hamper the monitoring of conservation trends and they are especially evident in the desert biome. Mauritania constitutes a remarkable example on how remoteness and regional insecurity affect current knowledge gaps. Mammals remain one of the least studied groups in this country, without a concerted species checklist, the mapping of regions concentrating mammal diversity, or a national assessment of their conservation status. This work assessed the diversity, distribution, and conservation of land mammals in Mauritania. A total of 6,718 published and original observations were assembled in a spatial database and used to update the occurrence status, distribution area, and conservation status. The updated taxonomic list comprises 107 species, including 93 extant, 12 Regionally Extinct, and 2 Extinct in the Wild. Mapping of species distributions allowed locating concentrations of extant mammal species richness in coastal areas, along the Senegal River valley, and in mountain plateaus. Recent regional extinction of large-sized Artiodactyla and Carnivora has been very high (11% extinct species). From the extant mammals, 11% are threatened, including flagship species (e.g., Addax nasomaculatus and Panthera pardus). Species richness is poorly represented by the current protected areas. Despite the strong advances made, 23% of species categorise as Data Deficient. Persisting systematics and distribution uncertainties require further research. Field surveys in currently unexplored areas (northern and south-eastern regions) are urgently needed to increase knowledge about threatened mammals. The long-term conservation of land mammals in Mauritania is embedded in a complex web of socioeconomic and environmental factors that call for collaborative action and investment in sustainable human development. The current work sets the baseline for the future development of detailed research studies and to address the general challenges faced by mammals and biodiversity in the country.

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“…Desertification is expected to intensify with the warming and drying climate, further limiting the resources within desert ecosystems, such as water (Liang et al, 2021; Lundgren et al, 2021). Climate change is projected to be more severe in deserts in comparison to other biomes regarding the extinction rate of organisms and alongside other anthropogenic factors such as land degradation, will probably lead to range contraction and species extinction in arid and semi‐arid environments (Brito et al, 2021). For instance, the results of studies conducted by Wu et al (2017) and Zhang, Jiang, Li, et al (2021) revealed that the ranges of climate niche projected for the Tibetan antelope ( Pantholops hodgsoni ) would be reduced to about half of the current range.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing landscape suitability and connectivity for effective conservation of two semi‐desert ungulates in Iran

Almasieh,

Mohammadi

2023

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Conservation outside conservation areas (CAs) is more challenging due to increased exposure to human‐induced disturbances. Therefore, it is important to identify and designate new CAs that can protect core wildlife habitat patches, as well as key linkages to promote connectivity. We performed this study to identify and prioritize core habitat patches and corridors for two semi‐desert sympatric gazelles in Iran (i.e., goitered gazelle Gazella subgutturosa and jebeer gazelle G. bennettii) in order to propose the expansion of existing CAs. We used an ensemble distribution modeling approach based on three algorithms (random forest, maximum entropy, and generalized boosting models) for habitat suitability assessment and a combination of resistant kernel and factorial least‐cost path analysis for connectivity modeling. Our results revealed that distance to CAs, elevation, and annual mean temperature were the most influential variables for predicting the distribution of the two gazelle species. We identified 12 and six core habitat patches for goitered gazelle and jebeer gazelle, respectively with a minimum area of 210 km2. Core habitat patches were mainly occurred in the north of the central basin of Iran with a high priority for the conservation of both species. CAs protected up to half of core habitat patches for goitered gazelle and one‐third of core habitat patches for jebeer gazelle. Due to human‐induced disturbances (e.g., vehicle collisions and poaching) outside CAs, it is necessary to increase regular monitoring and establish new CAs based on the identified core habitat patches for the two gazelles. Our findings highlight opportunities of designating new CAs for wildlife habitat and corridors conservation and for promoting connectivity by limiting road impacts.

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Drivers of change and conservation needs for vertebrates in drylands: an assessment from global scale to Sahara-Sahel wetlands

Cited by 5 publications

References 133 publications

Evaluation of Climatic and Anthropogenic Impacts on Phytosociological Aspects and Conservation Status of Native Flora in One of Protected and Unprotected Habitats of Cholistan Desert, Pakistan

Evaluation of Climatic and Anthropogenic Impacts on Phytosociological Aspects and Conservation Status of Native Flora in One of Protected and Unprotected Habitats of Cholistan Desert, Pakistan

Diversity, distribution and conservation of land mammals in Mauritania, North-West Africa

Assessing landscape suitability and connectivity for effective conservation of two semi‐desert ungulates in Iran

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