Don’t let me down: West Indian manatee,Trichechus manatus,is still critically endangered in Brazil

Sirenians have a unique ecological function in coastal ecosystems, deserving special conservation attention. The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) is globally classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN. In Brazil, where the species was intensively hunted in the past and currently faces several threats, it was classified as Endangered during the last national assessment published in 2014. Here, we generated information based on available data to assess the species extinction risk in Brazil using IUCN regional guidelines, applying all criteria, and choosing the highest category of risk. Abundance at the national level was projected considering the density estimated in Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte states and the Criterion B EOO (Extent of Occurrence) estimated in this study (34,899 km²) and resulted in 1,047 individuals (95% CI: 538–2,038). Six scenarios of annual mortality were inferred and suspected based on evidence. We adopted a simple discrete logistic growth model to project population reduction in the past and future (three generations − 69 years) in 18 scenarios. Among the 18 projected scenarios, four resulted in extinction, six in decline and eight in population growth. Considering the low abundance bound, all scenarios indicate a reduction larger than 80% in population size, classifying the species as ‘Critically Endangered’ based on A4de. Reduction in EOO and abundance in the past classify the species as ‘Endangered’ based on A2c. The suspected number of mature animals (607;95% CI: 312–1,182) and the projected decline higher than 20% in two generations also classify the species as ‘Endangered’ based on C1 and ‘Vulnerable’ under D1. Our results indicate that information can be generated to produce more accurate assessments based on available data. The species national extinction risk needs to be reassessed, and the National Action Plan effectiveness evaluated.     

Conservation of pteridophytes in São Tomé e Príncipe (Gulf of Guinea)

Twenty-two pteridophytes (13 endemic and 9 non-endemic) from São Tomé e Príncipe (Gulf of Guinea) are evaluated as regards their rarity and conservation status. IUCN Red List Categories are assigned to these taxa. Eight taxa are Critically Endangered (CR), eleven taxa are Vulnerable (VU) and three taxa are Endangered (EN). Specific measures to conserve these rare pteridophytes are outlined.     

Threats to the conifer species found on New Caledonia’s ultramafic massifs and proposals for urgently needed measures to improve their protection

Forty-one endemic conifer species occur on New Caledonia’s ultramafic substrates (known locally as “terrains miniers”), the source of nickel ore deposits being exploited at a rapidly increasing rate. Impacts of the removal of native vegetation and its destruction by the deposition of mine wastes are compounded by fire, which has dramatically reduced and fragmented the original cover. A new threat evaluation of these conifers, now being incorporated into the IUCN Red List, is presented. A conservation action plan is proposed to ensure their long term survival. Four species are classified as Critically Endangered (CR), 13 Endangered (EN), 6 Vulnerable (VU), 7 Nearly Threatened (NT) and 11 Least Concern. Wetland habitats contain two threatened species (i.e., CR, EN or VU), all inadequately protected in a single reserve. High altitude forest and maquis (a characteristic scrub-like vegetation) have four threatened and three NT conifers only partially encompassed in protected areas, some open to mining. Thirteen threatened species are restricted to low- and mid-elevation forests, and another three that can also occur on non-ultramafic substrates have isolated, unprotected populations in small forest remnants. Fire and land clearing for mining threaten two conifer species in low- to mid-elevation maquis along with subpopulations of five primarily forest species. Conserving the threatened conifers on terrains miniers will require coordinated measures including: comprehensive protection of forest remnants by forbidding mine waste stockpiling; establishment of new reserves, especially in key unprotected massifs; effective fire prevention; restoration of forest corridors between forest remnants; and multiplication/transplanting of selected species.     

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

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 km², 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.     

Diversity,distribution and conservation status assessment of Paraguayan palms (Arecaceae)

Indigenous palm species of Paraguay are presented with data on their diversity, distribution, threats and conservation status. The Paraguayan palm flora consists of 23 native species in 11 genera, representing two of the five subfamilies recognized in the group. The palm distribution in the country is strongly related to the different ecoregions present in Paraguay, with number of species by ecoregion being as follow: Cerrado (18), Upper Parana Atlantic forest (6), Wet Chaco (4), Pantanal (2), and Dry Chaco (1). Half of the species display an acaulescent habit reflecting an interesting ecological adaptation to natural fires in the Cerrado. The alarming rate of habitat modification that the country is undergoing since 1940s has put palms under a high risk of extinction in the wild. A GIS model was used to calculate the extent of occurrence and the area of occupancy of the species in order to assess their conservation status applying the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. This analysis shows that about 30% of the species are threatened; one species is Critically Endangered, three of them are Endangered, and three are Vulnerable. One species (Acrocomia hassleri) is considered Near Threatened, 13 are Least Concern whereas two species are insufficiently known and therefore unable to be assessed. Important areas for palm conservation in Paraguay were identified, revealing the importance of the Amambay department. Conservation measures for the threatened species identified are proposed.     

An assessment of red list data for the Pezizomycotina (Ascomycota): Umbria (Italy) as a test case

Abstract

A Red List of all 108 Pezizomycotina (Ascomycota) species recorded in Umbria Region (central Italy) is provided. According to the IUCN categories and criteria, 60.18% of the assessed species are classified as threatened, whereas 12.96% are Near Threatened (NT), 1.86% are Least Concerned (LC) and a noteworthy amount of 25% are Data Deficient (DD). As a consequence of the downlisting applied to the majority of the assessed taxa, according to the guidelines for application of IUCN red list criteria at Regional level, only 1.54% of the threatened species is Critically Endangered (CR), while 46.15% are Endangered (EN) and 52.31% are Vulnerable (VU). Given that the present work represents the first complete regional red list of Pezizomycotina in Italy, and that a national, as well as a European red list do not exist to date, it could be considered as a case study for other Italian Regions as well as for other European countries, aiming at the compilation of a national and European red list of this fungal group mostly overlooked in conservation strategies.     

Comprehensive Red List Assessment Reveals Exceptionally High Extinction Risk to Madagascar Palms

The establishment of baseline IUCN Red List assessments for plants is a crucial step in conservation planning. Nowhere is this more important than in biodiversity hotspots that are subject to significant anthropogenic pressures, such as Madagascar. Here, all Madagascar palm species are assessed using the IUCN Red List categories and criteria, version 3.1. Our results indicate that 83% of the 192 endemic species are threatened, nearly four times the proportion estimated for plants globally and exceeding estimates for all other comprehensively evaluated plant groups in Madagascar. Compared with a previous assessment in 1995, the number of Endangered and Critically Endangered species has substantially increased, due to the discovery of 28 new species since 1995, most of which are highly threatened. The conservation status of most species included in both the 1995 and the current assessments has not changed. Where change occurred, more species have moved to lower threat categories than to higher categories, because of improved knowledge of species and their distributions, rather than a decrease in extinction risk. However, some cases of genuine deterioration in conservation status were also identified. Palms in Madagascar are primarily threatened by habitat loss due to agriculture and biological resource use through direct exploitation or collateral damage. The recent extension of Madagascar’s protected area network is highly beneficial for palms, substantially increasing the number of threatened species populations included within reserves. Notably, three of the eight most important protected areas for palms are newly designated. However, 28 threatened and data deficient species are not protected by the expanded network, including some Critically Endangered species. Moreover, many species occurring in protected areas are still threatened, indicating that threatening processes persist even in reserves. Definitive implementation of the new protected areas combined with local community engagement are essential for the survival of Madagascar’s palms.     

Psychotria monensis sp. nov (Rubiaceae), a tree species from Cameroon

Psychotria monensis Cheek & Séné (Rubiaceae) from lowland evergreen forest in western Cameroon is described and illustrated. Its conservation status is assessed as ‘Critically Endangered’ according to the IUCN criteria, and its taxonomic affinities are discussed.     

Plant diversity of Hyrcanian relict forests: An annotated checklist,chorology and threat categories of endemic and near endemic vascular plant speciesOA

In this paper a critical annotated checklist of 256 endemic and near endemic species belonging to 152 genera and 50 families of flowering plants known from Hyrcanian relict forests is presented. Distribution maps of taxa, elevational range, number of known records, chorotypes, life forms, IUCN threat categories and habitat types are also provided. The chorotypes are categorized into eight main patterns: 1) the Omni-Hyrcanian pattern(OH), 2) West Hyrcanian pattern(WH), 3) Manjil-Rudbar pattern(MR...     

Distribution Survey and Threat Assessment of the Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey (<Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Oreonax flavicauda;</Emphasis> Humboldt 1812), Northeastern Peru

Peruvian yellow-tailed woolly monkeys (Oreonax flavicauda) are considered Critically Endangered (IUCN Categories A4c). The International Primatological Society also considers them one of the world’s 25 most endangered primate species and therefore a conservation priority. However, there is little concerted conservation action, and the existing protected area network may be inadequate to protect this species from extinction. Until recently this species has been the focus of few studies and its distributional limits remain unknown. I present results of a range-wide survey of Oreonax flavicauda in northeastern Peru. I conducted 53 presence/absence field surveys at 43 sites between March 2007 and March 2010, with data collected for an additional 7 sites from other researchers. I chose sites where the species was previously reported or following suggestions from predictive GIS modeling. Oreonax flavicauda was present at 35 sites, all presence records were in Ficus spp.–dominated cloud forests between 1500 and 2650 m above sea level. I give the geographical limits of this species distribution throughout the north, east, and west of its range; the exact extent of its range to the south requires further investigation. Oreonax flavicauda continues to be threatened throughout its range. The major threats I identified at the survey locations were the continued conversion of forests to cattle pasture, opening of new access routes into virgin areas, and both commercial and subsistence hunting. My results suggest that existing conservation measures may be inadequate at protecting this species but that substantial opportunities do exist. Further surveys need to be made in the southern distribution of this species to determine more accurately extant habitat.     

Principal Drivers and Conservation Solutions to the Impending Primate Extinction Crisis: Introduction to the Special Issue

International Journal of Primatology - Nonhuman primates are facing an impending extinction crisis with over 65% of species listed as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered, and 93%...     

New distributional records and conservation implications for the threatened Sumatra endemic Nepenthes lavicola Wistuba & Rischer (Nepenthaceae)

Nepenthes lavicola Wistuba & Rischer (Nepenthaceae) is a pitcher plant endemic to the northern tip of Sumatra Island, Indonesia. Due to its narrow geographic distribution and threats from a volcanic eruption and illegal harvesting by pitcher plant hunters, N. lavicola was assessed as Critically Endangered (CR) under criteria B1 + 2c of the IUCN Red List in 2000. Here, we report two new additional locations of N. lavicola in Aceh Tengah Regency, along with the population data and habitat characteristics of the species in each location. Based on our findings, we propose Endangered (EN) B1ab(iii) + 2ab(iii),C2a(i) as the new conservation status of N. lavicola. The new proposed status has a lower category of threat than the current status of the species. Nevertheless, under the new category, N. lavicola is still considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. Comprehensive and immediate conservation actions are required to halt the species from extinction.     

Warning times for species extinctions due to climate change

Climate change is likely to become an increasingly major obstacle to slowing the rate of species extinctions. Several new assessment approaches have been proposed for identifying climate‐vulnerable species, based on the assumption that established systems such as the IUCN Red List need revising or replacing because they were not developed to explicitly consider climate change. However, no assessment approach has been tested to determine its ability to provide advanced warning time for conservation action for species that might go extinct due to climate change. To test the performance of the Red List system in this capacity, we used linked niche‐demographic models with habitat dynamics driven by a ‘business‐as‐usual’ climate change scenario. We generated replicate 100‐year trajectories for range‐restricted reptiles and amphibians endemic to the United States. For each replicate, we categorized the simulated species according to IUCN Red List criteria at annual, 5‐year, and 10‐year intervals (the latter representing current practice). For replicates that went extinct, we calculated warning time as the number of years the simulated species was continuously listed in a threatened category prior to extinction. To simulate data limitations, we repeated the analysis using a single criterion at a time (disregarding other listing criteria). Results show that when all criteria can be used, the Red List system would provide several decades of warning time (median = 62 years; >20 years for 99% of replicates), but suggest that conservation actions should begin as soon as a species is listed as Vulnerable, because 50% of replicates went extinct within 20 years of becoming uplisted to Critically Endangered. When only one criterion was used, warning times were substantially shorter, but more frequent assessments increased the warning time by about a decade. Overall, we found that the Red List criteria reliably provide a sensitive and precautionary way to assess extinction risk under climate change.     

Conus: First Comprehensive Conservation Red List Assessment of a Marine Gastropod Mollusc Genus

Marine molluscs represent an estimated 23% of all extant marine taxa, but research into their conservation status has so far failed to reflect this importance, with minimal inclusion on the authoritative Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). We assessed the status of all 632 valid species of the tropical marine gastropod mollusc, Conus (cone snails), using Red List standards and procedures to lay the groundwork for future decadal monitoring, one of the first fully comprehensive global assessments of a marine taxon. Three-quarters (75.6%) of species were not currently considered at risk of extinction owing to their wide distribution and perceived abundance. However, 6.5% were considered threatened with extinction with a further 4.1% near threatened. Data deficiency prevented 13.8% of species from being categorised although they also possess characteristics that signal concern. Where hotspots of endemism occur, most notably in the Eastern Atlantic, 42.9% of the 98 species from that biogeographical region were classified as threatened or near threatened with extinction. All 14 species included in the highest categories of Critically Endangered and Endangered are endemic to either Cape Verde or Senegal, with each of the three Critically Endangered species restricted to single islands in Cape Verde. Threats to all these species are driven by habitat loss and anthropogenic disturbance, in particular from urban pollution, tourism and coastal development. Our findings show that levels of extinction risk to which cone snails are exposed are of a similar magnitude to those seen in many fully assessed terrestrial taxa. The widely held view that marine species are less at risk is not upheld.     

The narrow endemic Scrophularia valdesii Ortega-Olivencia & Devesa (Scrophulariaceae) in the Iberian Peninsula: an evaluation of its conservation status

The aim of this study is to determine the conservation status of Scrophularia valdesii Ortega-Olivencia & Devesa, a threatened narrow endemism of the Duero Basin (central-western Spain and north-eastern Portugal, Lusitan Duriensean biogeographical sector), by using the IUCN (2001) IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: version 3.1. IUCN Species Survival Commision. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. The species is listed as threatened in several Spanish compilatory works on threatened flora, such as `The Spanish Red List of Vascular Flora' and the `Atlas and Red Book of Threatened Vascular Flora of Spain', although it does not figure as such in any Portuguese document. Here we report detailed studies of its distribution, and assess its current conservation status with respect to this, the sizes of its populations, and the threats it faces. Our estimation of the size of the Iberian populations was based on our own census data from those sites at which we found the species. All censuses were performed by direct counting of all potentially reproductive individuals. Fourteen populations were found, and the total members thought to exist are 161, with a highly fragmented distribution on the Spanish–Portuguese border along the valley of the River Duero. Exhaustive bibliographical and field surveys were carried out and herbarium specimens housed in several herbaria were revised in order to determine the Extent of Occurrence and the Area of Occupancy. Based on our data, the species is classifiable as Critically Endangered and Endangered in Portugal and Spain, respectively. The risk of local population extinction is high due to its typically small local population sizes and suitable conservation strategies should be developed in order to preserve the species.     

Eco-floristic sectors and deforestation threats in Sumatra: identifying new conservation area network priorities for ecosystem-based land use planning

Biogeographical studies are a necessary step in establishing conservation area networks. Determining the ecological factors influencing vegetation is also a basic principle for hierarchical ecological classifications and a necessary prerequisite for ecosystem-based land use planning. Eco-floristic sectors (EFS) have already been identified for the Indonesian island of Sumatra, combining both approaches, dividing it into 38 EFSs representing unique ecosystems in terms of tree flora and environment (Laumonier 1997). The impact of deforestation on individual EFSs has been highly varied and in some cases extreme. We assigned one of five ‘extinction risk categories’ to each EFS based on the percentage of forest lost between 1985 and 2007. Eighty-five percent of all forest loss (10.2 million ha) occurred in the eastern peneplain, western lowland regions and swamps. In 2007, only 29% of forests were protected by conservation areas, only nine of the 38 EFS had more than 50% of their remaining forest cover protected. 38% of remaining forest was “critically endangered”, “endangered” or “vulnerable” EFSs (5 million ha) but only 1 million ha (20%) were protected. Sumatra’s existing network of conservation areas does not adequately represent the island’s ecosystems. Priorities for a new conservation area network can be formulated for integration into Sumatra’s new land use plans at provincial and district level. Decision makers can now use EFSs to locate new conservation areas so they represent and maintain the whole range of the island’s diversity.     

Primates in traditional folk medicine: a world overview

• 1 Almost 50% of primate species are in danger of becoming extinct, according to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This is partly because of their consumption by humans. The reasons for hunting vary by region. One pretext is the medicinal or magical value of products derived from these animals.
• 2 In this paper, we provide an overview of the global use of primates in traditional folk medicines as well as identifying the species used as remedies associated with folk beliefs. Some important questions relating to the conservation of primates are addressed.
• 3 Our results revealed that at least 101 species of primates, which belong to 38 genera and 10 families, were used in traditional folk practices and in magic–religious rituals throughout the world.
• 4 Of the 101 species of primates recorded in our review, 12 species were classified as Critically Endangered, 23 as Endangered, 22 as Vulnerable, seven as Near Threatened, 36 as Least Concern and one as Data Deficient in the IUCN Red List. All species were also included in The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Appendices I or II, although the reasons for their inclusion were not necessarily related to their medicinal use.
• 5 The widespread utilization of primates in traditional medicine is evidence of the importance of understanding such uses in the context of primate conservation as well as the need for considering socio‐cultural factors when establishing management plans concerning the sustainable use of these mammals.

     

A national‐scale dataset for threats impacting Australia’s imperiled flora and fauna

Australia is in the midst of an extinction crisis, having already lost 10% of terrestrial mammal fauna since European settlement and with hundreds of other species at high risk of extinction. The decline of the nation''s biota is a result of an array of threatening processes; however, a comprehensive taxon‐specific understanding of threats and their relative impacts remains undocumented nationally. Using expert consultation, we compile the first complete, validated, and consistent taxon‐specific threat and impact dataset for all nationally listed threatened taxa in Australia. We confined our analysis to 1,795 terrestrial and aquatic taxa listed as threatened (Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered) under Australian Commonwealth law. We engaged taxonomic experts to generate taxon‐specific threat and threat impact information to consistently apply the IUCN Threat Classification Scheme and Threat Impact Scoring System, as well as eight broad‐level threats and 51 subcategory threats, for all 1,795 threatened terrestrial and aquatic threatened taxa. This compilation produced 4,877 unique taxon–threat–impact combinations with the most frequently listed threats being Habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation (n = 1,210 taxa), and Invasive species and disease (n = 966 taxa). Yet when only high‐impact threats or medium‐impact threats are considered, Invasive species and disease become the most prevalent threats. This dataset provides critical information for conservation action planning, national legislation and policy, and prioritizing investments in threatened species management and recovery.