The changing fates of the world's mammals

Abstract

Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort, PO Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesA recent complete assessment of the conservation status of 5487 mammal species demonstrated that at least one-fifth are at risk of extinction in the wild. We retrospectively identified genuine changes in extinction risk for mammals between 1996 and 2008 to calculate changes in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Index (RLI). Species-level trends in the conservation status of mammalian diversity reveal that extinction risk in large-bodied species is increasing, and that the rate of deterioration has been most accelerated in the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. Expanding agriculture and hunting have been the main drivers of increased extinction risk in mammals. Site-based protection and management, legislation, and captivebreeding and reintroduction programmes have led to improvements in 24 species. We contextualize these changes, and explain why both deteriorations and improvements may be under-reported. Although this study highlights where conservation actions are leading to improvements, it fails to account for instances where conservation has prevented further deteriorations in the status of the world's mammals. The continued utility of the RLI is dependent on sustained investment to ensure repeated assessments of mammals over time and to facilitate future calculations of the RLI and measurement against global targets.

The future of terrestrial mammals in the Mediterranean basin under climate change

“…Moreover, additional drivers could enhance the risk of species extinction or at least could increase further the uncertainty linked to our results (e.g. parasites, fire frequency, diseases; [71]). Particularly important is the lack of consideration for the effects of land use and other types of human pressure.…”

GIS and Spatial Analysis Meet Conservation: a Promising Synergy to Address Biodiversity Issues

“…International commitments towards reducing biodiversity losses have been established, with clear strategic plans and targets (SCBD 2005(SCBD , 2010. Monitoring and assessment of the progress towards global conservation targets are important components of global commitments and many institutions from academy, government and organized society are now engaged in these tasks (Scholes et al 2008;Stuart et al 2010;Hoffmann et al 2011;GEO BON 2011). Monitoring and assessment of biodiversity at the global, national and local levels largely depend on the analysis of spatial data (Scholes et al 2008;Horning et al 2010;Skidmore et al 2011;Cagnacci et al 2010).…”

“…Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON), NASA, DIVERSITAS, the United Nations Environment Program -World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), through frameworks and initiatives like GEO BON GEOPortal, GBIF, IUCN Red Data List, Barometer of Life (Scholes et al 2008;Stuart et al 2010;Hoffmann et al 2011;GEO BON 2011) are now engaged in monitoring the progress of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets implementation.…”

Canopy structure drives orangutan habitat selection in disturbed Bornean forests

“…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.…”

“…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).…”