Species Conservation Assessments in Oceanic Islands: the Consequences of Precautionary Versus Evidentiary Attitudes

Romeiras, Maria M.; Catarino, Sílvia; Filipe, Ana Filipa; Magalhães, María Filomena; Duarte, Maria Cristina; Beja, Pedro

doi:10.1111/conl.12212

Cited by 19 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(125 reference statements)

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“…This finding suggests that assessments might not be driven by overly precautionary attitudes towards a restricted extent of occurrence, in contrast to findings for other taxa inhabiting islands (Romeiras et al. ). Alternatively, other criteria, such as population decline, might have had more relevance in the assignment of Red List category, due to the greater sensitivity of island populations towards threats such as habitat loss, overharvesting, and invasive species (Jones et al.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 65%

Insular bats and research effort: a review of global patterns and priorities

et al. 2017

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Evidence‐based knowledge is critical for the delineation and success of conservation interventions. However, despite limited research resources, research efforts frequently fail to target conservation priorities. Island endemic bats (IEBs) are a poorly studied group inhabiting some of the world's most vulnerable habitats, and for which no review of research allocation has ever been conducted. We conducted a bibliometric review to evaluate the global research patterns for IEBs with respect to individual species, geographical distribution and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categories. Additionally, we studied the relationship between the number of publications and changes in Red List category, and identified species‐based and area‐based priorities for future research. IEBs are significantly more threatened than bat species that are not island endemics. However, research focusing on IEBs is scarce, centred on species of lesser conservation concern, and spatially asymmetric, overlooking areas of high IEB biodiversity. Conservation‐oriented research seems to target species facing high extinction risk, but is extremely thinly and unevenly distributed. Although we found a positive association between research effort and improvement in Red List category, an increase in extinction risk did not trigger more scientific attention. A prioritisation analysis highlighted, as the top five islands for species richness in the least‐studied and highest conservation concern IEBs: Sulawesi, Timor, New Guinea, Java, and Borneo. The ten species of highest research priority include threatened and Data Deficient species from Southeast Asian and Pacific islands. Conservation‐oriented research seems to be too scarce to satisfy conservation needs. The observed mismatch between research allocation and conservation priorities may reflect the fact that highly endangered species are unattractive targets for fund‐raising, due to species crypticity, high research budget requirements, and high risk of project failure. However, our findings support the importance of research for the conservation of IEBs, and we therefore advocate that more attention is directed towards the least‐known species.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 65%

Insular bats and research effort: a review of global patterns and priorities

et al. 2017

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“…As suggested by Romeiras, Catarino, Filipe, et al. (), new prioritization methods should consider the spatial and intra‐archipelago genetic diversity of insular taxa. Due to their uncertain status, most of this study target taxa are not currently protected, with some exceptions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogenetic relationships and phylogeography of relevant lineages within the complex Campanulaceae family in Macaronesia

Menezes

Romeiras

Sequeira

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Macaronesia has long been recognized as a natural model for studying evolutionary processes in plant diversification. Several studies have attempted to focus on single lineages, and few have covered the diversification of a family across all the archipelagos. We used a comprehensive sample to clarify the phylogenetic relationships and the biogeographic history of the Macaronesian Campanulaceae. Hypotheses related to the colonization of these archipelagos will be used to examine the diversification patterns of different lineages. We sequenced the ITS region and six cpDNA markers (atpB, matK, petD, rbcL, trnL‐F, and psbA‐trnH) from 10 Campanulaceae species, including seven endemic species in Macaronesia. The phylogeny of these taxa was reconstructed using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference. To study the relationships within each lineage, haplotype networks were calculated using NeighborNet and TCS algorithms. Moreover, data were combined with fossil information to construct time‐calibrated trees for the Macaronesian Campanulaceae species. The phylogenetic analyses are largely congruent with current taxon circumscriptions, and all the endemic genera formed monophyletic clades, namely Azorina in Azores; Musschia in Madeira; and Campanula in Cape Verde. The Azorina clade and the Cape Verde endemic Campanula may share a common ancestor in North Africa, and the divergence was dated ca. 12.3 million years ago (Mya). The divergence of the Musschia clade began in the Pliocene ca. 3.4 Mya. Moreover, several examples of intraspecific variation were revealed among the native species with a clear geographic structured patterns, suggesting that cryptic diversity might exist within the native Macaronesian Campanulaceae when compared to the close mainland taxa (e.g., Campanula erinus, Trachelium caeruleum), but additional studies are needed to support the molecular data. This study highlights the power of combining data (e.g., phylogeny and divergence times, with species distribution data) for testing diversification hypotheses within the unique Macaronesian flora, providing useful information for future conservation efforts.

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“…An evidentiary attitude (RT = 0.6) was applied, as recommended by Romeiras et al . (2015a) for small islands.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This parameter ranges from 0 for risk-averse, precautionary attitude to 1 for risk-prone, evidentiary attitude (Akçakaya et al, 2000). An evidentiary attitude (RT = 0.6) was applied, as recommended by Romeiras et al (2015a) for small islands.…”

Section: Red List Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

IUCN Red List assessment of the Cape Verde endemic flora: towards a global strategy for plant conservation in Macaronesia

et al. 2015

Self Cite

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We review the conservation status and threats to the endemic vascular flora of the Cape Verde islands, mostly based on the past two decades of collecting, literature review and herbarium specimens. The application of IUCN Red List criteria and categories using RAMAS software reveals that 78% of the endemic plants are threatened (29.3% Critically Endangered, 41.3% Endangered, 7.6% Vulnerable). Most of these endemics have a limited geographical range, and half of them have Areas of Occupancy and Extents of Occurrence of < 20 and 200 km 2 , respectively. Our data show that, over the last two decades, the Cape Verde vascular plants have become more threatened and their conservation status has declined, mostly as a consequence of the increase in exotic species, habitat degradation and human disturbance. This paper presents the first comprehensive IUCN Red List data review for the plants endemic to Cape Verde, thus providing an important step towards the recognition and conservation of its threatened endemic flora at the national and global level. It also fills a knowledge gap, as it represents the first thorough assessment of the conservation status of the entire endemic flora of a Macaronesian archipelago.

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Species Conservation Assessments in Oceanic Islands: the Consequences of Precautionary Versus Evidentiary Attitudes

Cited by 19 publications

References 29 publications

Insular bats and research effort: a review of global patterns and priorities

Insular bats and research effort: a review of global patterns and priorities

Phylogenetic relationships and phylogeography of relevant lineages within the complex Campanulaceae family in Macaronesia

IUCN Red List assessment of the Cape Verde endemic flora: towards a global strategy for plant conservation in Macaronesia

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