Reducing threats to species: threat reversibility and links to industry

Prugh, Laura R.; Sinclair, A. R. E.; Hodges, Karen E.; Jacob, Aerin L.; Wilcove, David S.

doi:10.1111/j.1755-263x.2010.00111.x

Cited by 35 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The annual production of hundreds of thousands, often millions, of eggs per female provided the basis for Thomas Huxley's prediction in 1883 that ''all the great sea-fisheries are inexhaustible'' (Smith 1994). Indeed, the hypothesis that high fecundity confers low extinction risk and high recovery potential is one of several empirically suspect assertions that have contributed to the perception that the threat of extinction for marine fishes is lower than that of other vertebrates (Musick (Patrick et al 2010, Prugh et al 2010.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life‐history correlates of extinction risk and recovery potential

Hutchings

Myers

García

et al. 2012

Ecological Applications

176

179

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Abstract. Extinction risk is inversely associated with maximum per capita population growth rate (r max ). However, this parameter is not known for most threatened species, underscoring the value in identifying correlates of r max that, in the absence of demographic data, would indirectly allow one to identify species and populations at elevated risk of extinction and their associated recovery potential. We undertook a comparative life-history analysis of 199 species from three taxonomic classes: Chondrichthyes (e.g., sharks; n ¼ 82), Actinopterygii (teleost or bony fishes; n ¼ 47), and Mammalia (n ¼ 70, including 16 marine species). Median r max was highest for (and similar between) terrestrial mammals (0.71) and teleosts (0.43), significantly lower among chondrichthyans (0.26), and lower still in marine mammals (0.07). Age at maturity was the primary (and negative) correlate of r max . In contrast, although body size was negatively correlated with r max in chondrichthyans and mammals, evidence of an association in teleosts was equivocal, and fecundity was not related to r max in fishes, despite recurring assertions to the contrary. Our analyses suggest that age at maturity can serve as a universal predictor of extinction risk in fishes and mammals when r max itself is unknown. Moreover, in contrast to what is generally expected, the recovery potential of teleost fishes does not differ from that of terrestrial mammals. Our findings are supportive of the application of extinction-risk criteria that are based on generation time and that are independent of taxonomic affinity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life‐history correlates of extinction risk and recovery potential

Hutchings

Myers

García

et al. 2012

Ecological Applications

176

179

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“…While threat and habitat maps suggest sites where management can mitigate the greatest amount of threat or protect the most habitat, they may be inadequate for identifying the most cost-effective actions [56]. Not all threats are equally manageable, nor is the cost of actions to mitigate threats equal [47]. Fundamental knowledge obtained from threat mapping studies needs to be combined with estimated habitat loss rates caused by threats, and costs of conservation actions, to cost-efficiently minimize losses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Using threat maps for cost-effective prioritization of actions to conserve coastal habitats

et al. 2015

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a b s t r a c tMarine coastal habitats provide valuable ecosystem services, including food provision, carbon sequestration, and coastal protection, but they are highly threatened by human activities. The multitude of human stressors affecting coastal habitats renders their conservation a difficult task for environmental agencies with limited budgets. This study, using seagrass meadows -one of the world's most threatened coastal habitats -proposes a transparent framework for the conservation of coastal habitats that links information from habitat and threat maps to conservation actions, and their costs. The proposed framework and the use of a predictive model of seagrass loss allowed the selection of the most cost-effective actions to abate stoppable threats (trawling and anchoring), while avoiding areas affected by threats that are more difficult to manage, such as coastal development. The relative improvement in cost achieved by using the proposed approach was examined by comparing with other common prioritization criteria that do not consider cost, including choosing sites based on threat level or habitat cover alone. The establishment of anti-trawling reefs was found to be the most cost-effective action to achieve the European Union conservation target for the protection of seagrass Posidonia oceanica meadows. The number of anti-trawling reefs and their establishment location was sensitive to fine-scale information on the distribution of fishing activities. The proposed approach always conserved the same habitat for lower cost than prioritization schemes that focus actions in areas of highest seagrass coverage or highest threat level. The study results suggest that conservation actions should not be prioritized on the basis of habitat maps and/or threat maps alone. Impact assessment and habitat vulnerability at a local scale would greatly benefit from detailed knowledge of the spatial distribution of stressors. At the same time, methods of scaling up the quantitative impact of stressors are urgently needed to understand their relationship with seascape-wide habitat coverage and to inform conservation of coastal habitats.

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“…Blue lettering denotes parts of the process evaluated in this study. Symbols denote parts of the process evaluated for marine fishes in previous studies (as detailed in Table S1 1 ): ❖ = Hutchings and Festa-Bianchet 2009, Powles 2011, Waples et al 2013; ‫ء‬ = Mooers et al 2010;= Favaro et al 2014;= Prugh et al 2010; ૽ = Mooers et al 2007, Findlay et al 2009, Dawe and Neis 2012, Schultz et al 2013✓ = Vanderzwaag and Hutchings 2005;+ = McCune et al 2013, Taylor andPinkus 2013; = Office of the Auditor General Canada 2013.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Missing the safety net: evidence for inconsistent and insufficient management of at-risk marine fishes in Canada

McDevitt‐Irwin

Fuller²,

Grant³

et al. 2015

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

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Marine conservation is often perceived as being in conflict with fisheries management. In Canada, at-risk marine fishes denied listing under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) are meant to receive comparable measures under the Fisheries Act. We assess the effectiveness of these Acts by examining (i) how long it takes a marine fish assessed as being at risk to move through the process and receive conservation measures, (ii) whether there are biases against marine fishes in the SARA process additional to the known listing bias, and (iii) when denied listing, to what extent these species are protected by the Fisheries Act. Overall, at-risk marine fishes typically spend 3.25 years under consideration for SARA, during which time they receive no additional protection. Endangered and Threatened marine fishes (i.e., those most at risk) face the greatest bias and receive the least protection; their SARA decisions are typically delayed, with almost 5 years usually passing between their COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) assessment and listing decision; most (70.6%) are then denied listing, after which the Fisheries Act provides few of the SARA-required measures. For SARA-listed marine fishes, recovery strategies are usually late and to date no action plans have been produced. Marine fish conservation is hindered by SARA's slow pace, incomplete recovery measures, and inadequate implementation of the Fisheries Act. We provide recommendations for improving conservation of at-risk marine fishes in Canada.Résumé : La conservation d'espèces marines est souvent perçue comme entrant en conflit avec la gestion des pêches. Au Canada, les poissons marins en péril qui ne sont pas inscrits en vertu de la Loi sur les espèces en péril (LEP) sont censés faire l'objet de mesures semblables en vertu de la Loi sur les pêches. Nous évaluons l'efficacité de ces lois en examinant (i) le temps nécessaire pour le processus faisant en sorte qu'un poisson marin jugé en péril fasse l'objet de mesures de conservation, (ii) s'il existe des biais contre les poissons marins dans le processus de la LEP autres que le biais d'inscription connu et (iii) dans les cas où les espèces n'obtiennent pas l'inscription, dans quelle mesure ces espèces sont protégées par la Loi sur les pêches. Globalement, l'examen des poissons marins en péril en vue de leur inscription en vertu de la LEP dure typiquement 3,25 années, période durant laquelle ils ne bénéficient d'aucune protection supplémentaire. Les espèces en voie de disparation ou menacées (c.-à-d., les plus à risque) font l'objet du biais le plus important et de la protection la plus faible; les décisions en vertu de la LEP les concernant sont généralement retardées, presque 5 années s'écoulant habituellement entre leur évaluation par le COSEPAC (Comité su la situation des espèces en péril au Canada) et la décision quant à leur inscription; la plupart (70,6 %) sont rejetés, après quoi la Loi sur les pêches ne prévoit que peu des mesures requises par la LEP. Pour les poissons ...

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Reducing threats to species: threat reversibility and links to industry

Cited by 35 publications

References 42 publications

Life‐history correlates of extinction risk and recovery potential

Life‐history correlates of extinction risk and recovery potential

Using threat maps for cost-effective prioritization of actions to conserve coastal habitats

Missing the safety net: evidence for inconsistent and insufficient management of at-risk marine fishes in Canada

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