Extinction risk assessments at the population and species level: implications for amphibian conservation |
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Authors: | Carlos Guilherme Becker Rafael Dias Loyola |
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Institution: | (1) Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, P.O. Box 6109, 13083-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil |
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Abstract: | Amphibian populations are declining worldwide and this is causing growing concern. High levels of population declines followed
by the expansion of red lists are creating demands for effective strategies to maximize conservation efforts for amphibians.
Ideally, integrated and comprehensive strategies should be based on complementary information of population and species extinction
risk. Here we evaluate the congruence between amphibian extinction risk assessments at the population level (Declining Amphibian
Database––DAPTF) and at species level (GAA––IUCN Red List). We used the Declining Amphibian Database––DAPTF that covers 967
time-series records of amphibian population declines assigned into four levels of declines. We assigned each of its corresponding
species into GAA––IUCN red list status, discriminated each species developmental mode, and obtained their geographic range
size as well. Extinction risk assessments at the population and species level do not fully coincide across geographic realms
or countries. In Paleartic, Neartic and Indo-Malayan realms less than 25% of species with reported population declines are
formally classified as threatened. In contrast, more than 60% of all species with reported population declines that occur
in Australasia and the Neotropics are indeed threatened according to the GAA––IUCN Red List. Species with aquatic development
presented proportionally higher extinction risks at both population and species level than those with terrestrial development,
being this pattern more prominent at Australasia, Paleartic, and Neartic realms. Central American countries, Venezuela, Mexico
and Australia presented the highest congruence between both population and species risk. We address that amphibian conservation
strategies could be improved by using complementary information on time-series population trends and species threat. Whenever
feasible, conservation assessments should also include life-history traits in order to improve its effectiveness. |
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Keywords: | Biodiversity Extinction Management Policy Population declines Threat |
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