Protected areas and spatial conservation priorities for endemic vertebrates of the Gran Chaco, one of the most threatened ecoregions of the world

Abstract

Aim To evaluate the representativeness of the current network of protected areas (PAs) of one of the most threatened ecoregions in the world, the South American Gran Chaco, and determine priority conservation areas for endemic (and nearly endemic) terrestrial vertebrates of the region.Location South America.Methods We identified all those amphibians, mammals and birds whose distributions were at least 70% within the Gran Chaco. Then, we refined and corrected species' distributional ranges, first, using records from collections and expert knowledge, and second, by incorporating environmental and topographic data using a technique for range polygon refinement. Lastly, we used ZONATION, a spatial conservation prioritization software, to evaluate representativeness of the current protected areas (PAs) network of the region and to define forest remnants to strategically expand PAs while maximizing the representativeness of the selected groups and considering human activities.Results Current PAs cover 9% of the region and represent 9.1% of the total distribution of endemic species. Considering our prioritization, increasing the coverage to 17% to match the Aichi targets would substantially increase the representativeness of the PA network, covering on average more than 30% of the ranges of all endemic species and 77% of the distributions of threatened and DD endemic species.Main conclusions Our results highlight that the need for well-informed decisions in the Gran Chaco is imperative. While the current PA network in the region ensures a very poor representation of endemic terrestrial vertebrates, opportunities to efficiently expand the PAs network are really high. This emphasizes the potential of complementarity-based systematic conservation planning tools as an essential support for conservation decisions. Given the great information gaps regarding biodiversity and human activities in the region, similar studies with updated data would improve conservation planning in the Gran Chaco in the future.

Using tree species inventories to map biomes and assess their climatic overlaps in lowland tropical South America

“…Current conservation planning for SDTF in Brazil focuses solely on the Caatinga Domain, but many Brazilian SDTFs are found in disjunct patches outside this area, especially in the Cerrado, placing them under laws designed to protect savanna diversity. As another example, the Chaco is under great threat owing to an increase of habitat destruction and fragmentation during the last 30 years (Hansen et al, ; Nori et al, ), but if recognized as a separate biome, as our analyses suggest, the urgency of its conservation might be better appreciated (Kuemmerle et al, ).…”

Mapping extinction debt highlights conservation opportunities for birds and mammals in the South American Chaco

“…The Chaco is also considered a biodiversity hotspot, harbouring more than 400 birds, 150 mammals, 120 reptiles and 100 amphibian species (The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina (FVSA), Fundación para el Desarrollo Sustentable del Chaco (DeSdel Chaco) & Wildlife Conservation Society Bolivia (WCS), ). Given the high biodiversity, the high anthropogenic pressure and the limited extent of protected areas (9%; Nori et al., ), the Chaco is in urgent need of conservation action (Kuemmerle et al., ).…”

Distribution and connectivity of protected areas in the Americas facilitates transboundary conservation

“…Given the potential advantages of functional transboundary protected area networks in the Americas, a greater push for international cooperation is needed (e.g., MacPherson and Boyer , Nori et al. ). Several institutions in the Americas promote trans‐national cooperation (e.g., Yellowstone to Yukon; Adirondacks to Algonquin; Landscape Conservation Cooperatives) and continued efforts should build off of such initiatives in other areas of the Americas.…”