Saving the World's Terrestrial Megafauna

Ripple, William J.; Chapron, Guillaume; López‐Bao, José Vicente; Durant, Sarah M.; Macdonald, David W.; Lindsey, Peter A.; Bennett, Elizabeth L.; Beschta, Robert L.; Bruskotter, Jeremy T.; Campos‐Arceiz, Ahimsa; Corlett, Richard T.; Darimont, Chris T.; Dickman, Amy; Dirzo, Rodolfo; Dublin, Holly T.; Estes, James A.; Everatt, Kristoffer T.; Galetti, Mauro; Goswami, Varun R.; Hayward, Matt W.; Hedges, S. Blair; Hoffmann, Michael; Hunter, Luke; Kerley, Graham I. H.; Letnic, Mike; Levi, Taal; Maisels, Fiona; Morrison, John C.; Nelson, Michael Paul; Newsome, Thomas M.; Painter, Luke E.; Pringle, Robert M.; Sandom, Christopher J.; Terborgh, John; Treves, Adrian; Valkenburgh, Blaire Van; Vucetich, John A.; Wirsing, Aaron J.; Wallach, Arian D.; Wolf, Christopher; Woodroffe, Rosie; Young, Hillary S.; Zhang, Li Li

doi:10.1093/biosci/biw092

Cited by 182 publications

(156 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Given the perilous conservation situation of many large carnivore species, there is a clear need to act based on the best available knowledge at any given time (Ripple et al, 2016a). However, manipulative experiments clearly trump anecdotal, observational and/or correlative information for their informative value, and should therefore be valued more highly in the decision making process (Platt, 1964;Fleming et al, 2013).…”

Section: Implications For Large Carnivore Science and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Proponents of the MRH, TCH, and BMTCH argue that these hypotheses should be accepted by scientists and society as ecological laws by default (not as mere theories or hypotheses) and that the burden of proof for demonstrating their reality should be placed on those who do not believe them (Estes et al, 2011). These theories also provide the scientific justification for many admirable and worthwhile efforts to restore large carnivore populations to densities and distributions reminiscent of former times (Ripple et al, 2014b;Ripple et al, 2016a), although historical ecological benchmarks have not been determined for most systems (e.g. Hayward, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can we save large carnivores without losing large carnivore science?

Allen

Allen²,

Andrén

et al. 2017

Food Webs

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a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oLarge carnivores are depicted to shape entire ecosystems through top-down processes. Studies describing these processes are often used to support interventionist wildlife management practices, including carnivore reintroduction or lethal control programs. Unfortunately, there is an increasing tendency to ignore, disregard or devalue fundamental principles of the scientific method when communicating the reliability of current evidence for the ecological roles that large carnivores may play, eroding public confidence in large carnivore science and scientists. Here, we discuss six interrelated issues that currently undermine the reliability of the available literature on the ecological roles of large carnivores: (1) the overall paucity of available data, (2) reliability of carnivore population sampling techniques, (3) general disregard for alternative hypotheses to top-down forcing, (4) lack of applied science studies, (5) frequent use of logical fallacies, and (6) generalisation of results from relatively pristine systems to those substantially altered by humans. We first describe how widespread these issues are, and given this, show, for example, that evidence for the roles of wolves (Canis lupus) and dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) in initiating trophic cascades is not as strong as is often claimed. Managers and policy makers should exercise caution when relying on this literature to inform wildlife management decisions. We emphasise the value of manipulative experiments and discuss the role of scientific knowledge in the decision-making process. We hope that the issues we raise here prompt deeper consideration of actual evidence, leading towards an improvement in both the rigour and communication of large carnivore science.

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Section: Implications For Large Carnivore Science and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can we save large carnivores without losing large carnivore science?

Allen

Allen²,

Andrén

et al. 2017

Food Webs

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“…Apex predators are in decline, globally, which has lead to and threatens continuing impacts to entire ecosystems (Estes et al., 2011; Morris & Letnic, 2017; Ripple et al., 2014, 2016, 2017). Estes et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation implications for dingoes from the maternal and paternal genome: Multiple populations, dog introgression, and demography

Cairns

Brown

Sacks

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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It is increasingly common for apex predators to face a multitude of complex conservation issues. In Australia, dingoes are the mainland apex predator and play an important role in ecological functioning. Currently, however, they are threatened by hybridization with modern domestic dogs in the wild. As a consequence, we explore how increasing our understanding of the evolutionary history of dingoes can inform management and conservation decisions. Previous research on whole mitochondrial genome and nuclear data from five geographical populations showed evidence of two distinct lineages of dingo. Here, we present data from a broader survey of dingoes around Australia using both mitochondrial and Y chromosome markers and investigate the timing of demographic expansions. Biogeographic data corroborate the presence of at least two geographically subdivided genetic populations, southeastern and northwestern. Demographic modeling suggests that dingoes have undergone population expansion in the last 5,000 years. It is not clear whether this stems from expansion into vacant niches after the extinction of thylacines on the mainland or indicates the arrival date of dingoes. Male dispersal is much more common than female, evidenced by more diffuse Y haplogroup distributions. There is also evidence of likely historical male biased introgression from domestic dogs into dingoes, predominately within southeastern Australia. These findings have critical practical implications for the management and conservation of dingoes in Australia; particularly a focus must be placed upon the threatened southeastern dingo population.

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“…Bornean orangutan | Carnegie Airborne Observatory | conservation | Light Detection and Ranging | movement ecology L arge vertebrates perform disproportionately important roles in ecosystem functioning (1,2), yet the conservation of the Earth's remaining large mammal fauna is becoming increasingly difficult, particularly in light of their wide-ranging habits (3)(4)(5). Human population growth and natural resource use continue to place tremendous pressure on these species and their remaining habitat (4,6,7).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Human population growth and natural resource use continue to place tremendous pressure on these species and their remaining habitat (4,6,7). Previous strategies that relied almost exclusively on the preservation of pristine habitat for large mammal conservation are proving insufficient, with populations continuing to decline (4,5). New strategies that complement the continued protection of pristine environments are urgently needed if we are to succeed in saving these charismatic and functionally important species.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Canopy structure drives orangutan habitat selection in disturbed Bornean forests

Davies

Ancrenaz

Asner

2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The conservation of charismatic and functionally important large species is becoming increasingly difficult. Anthropogenic pressures continue to squeeze available habitat and force animals into degraded and disturbed areas. Ensuring the long-term survival of these species requires a well-developed understanding of how animals use these new landscapes to inform conservation and habitat restoration efforts. We combined 3 y of highly detailed visual observations of Bornean orangutans with high-resolution airborne remote sensing (Light Detection and Ranging) to understand orangutan movement in disturbed and fragmented forests of Malaysian Borneo. Structural attributes of the upper forest canopy were the dominant determinant of orangutan movement among all age and sex classes, with orangutans more likely to move in directions of increased canopy closure, tall trees, and uniform height, as well as avoiding canopy gaps and moving toward emergent crowns. In contrast, canopy vertical complexity (canopy layering and shape) did not affect movement. Our results suggest that although orangutans do make use of disturbed forest, they select certain canopy attributes within these forests, indicating that not all disturbed or degraded forest is of equal value for the long-term sustainability of orangutan populations. Although the value of disturbed habitats needs to be recognized in conservation plans for wide-ranging, large-bodied species, minimal ecological requirements within these habitats also need to be understood and considered if long-term population viability is to be realized.Bornean orangutan | Carnegie Airborne Observatory | conservation | Light Detection and Ranging | movement ecology

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Saving the World's Terrestrial Megafauna

Cited by 182 publications

References 11 publications

Can we save large carnivores without losing large carnivore science?

Can we save large carnivores without losing large carnivore science?

Conservation implications for dingoes from the maternal and paternal genome: Multiple populations, dog introgression, and demography

Canopy structure drives orangutan habitat selection in disturbed Bornean forests

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