The Sampled Red List Index for Plants,phase II: ground-truthing specimen-based conservation assessments

The IUCN Sampled Red List Index (SRLI) is a policy response by biodiversity scientists to the need to estimate trends in extinction risk of the world''s diminishing biological diversity. Assessments of plant species for the SRLI project rely predominantly on herbarium specimen data from natural history collections, in the overwhelming absence of accurate population data or detailed distribution maps for the vast majority of plant species. This creates difficulties in re-assessing these species so as to measure genuine changes in conservation status, which must be observed under the same Red List criteria in order to be distinguished from an increase in the knowledge available for that species, and thus re-calculate the SRLI. However, the same specimen data identify precise localities where threatened species have previously been collected and can be used to model species ranges and to target fieldwork in order to test specimen-based range estimates and collect population data for SRLI plant species. Here, we outline a strategy for prioritizing fieldwork efforts in order to apply a wider range of IUCN Red List criteria to assessments of plant species, or any taxa with detailed locality or natural history specimen data, to produce a more robust estimation of the SRLI.     

IUCN受威胁物种红色名录进展及应用

IUCN受威胁物种红色名录已经成为世界上最全面的关于全球动物、真菌和植物物种灭绝风险状况的信息来源, 是生物多样性健康的关键指标, 是促进生物多样性保护和决策的有力工具。本文全面介绍IUCN受威胁物种红色名录(简称IUCN红色名录)的发展以及应用状况, 积极推动其在中国的物种评估和广泛应用。总结了IUCN红色名录从依赖于评估专家的主观意志决定物种濒危等级的濒危物种红皮书(Red Data Book)到IUCN受威胁物种等级和标准(3.1版)的客观量化和所有门类使用统一标准的过程。该等级体系可囊括全球所有物种, 其中“受威胁”的3个等级——极危(CR)、濒危(EN)或易危(VU)需使用5个标准进行量化评估, 对评估规范有非常严格的要求。该等级和标准体系不仅适用于全球层面, 同样也适用于地区层面物种评估, 只是在具体物种种群如果和周边其他地区(国家)存在种群交流情况时, 评估结果要进行调整。迄今为止, 全球层面使用该等级体系和标准评估了14万多种(其中在中国有分布的物种10,846种), 100多个国家和地方制定了地区/国家层面的红色名录, 中国红色名录评估了5.5万多种。IUCN红色名录已广泛应用于评估生物多样性变化速度; 为保护规划提供决策信息; 支持履行国际公约、修订国家/地区重点保护物种名录和自然保护地管理等; 指导资源有效合理分配和宣传教育等。广泛应用过程中, 讨论主要集中在获取数据的方法改进上; 另外, 一方面有专家认为标准存在缺陷需要完善, 另一方面有呼吁维持标准的长期相对稳定, 以便进行跨时间、跨区域、跨物种门类的比较。本文提出来了中国红色名录的持续机制和应用建议, 包括建立中国红色名录委员会、建立中国红色名录专业网站、发展评估专家队伍、建立中国红色名录评估更新机制, 以及加强国际协作、促进全球和中国红色名录的应用和发展。     

Geographic distribution patterns and status assessment of threatened plants in China

Large scale heterogeneous distribution of biodiversity has become a hot topic for ecologists and conservationists. A threat status assessment combined with geographic distribution patterns of threatened plants in China has been conducted at a national scale in this study based upon a distribution database that refers to both specimen records and published references. Currently, 302 threatened plant species are cataloged in the “National Protected Key Wild Plants” in China belonging to 92 families and 194 genera. Results of the assessment according to the Categories and Criteria system of The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List indicate that three species have been assessed as Extinct in Wild (EW) while a further 79, 99 and 112 species have been assessed as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), and Vulnerable (VU), respectively. Distribution patterns of threatened plants were analyzed with GIS to identify areas of high species diversity. It was found that threatened plant species occur unevenly within counties and are concentrated in the following eight hotspots: the central and southern Hengduanshan mountain area; the southeast regions of Yunnan as well as Xishuangbanna and southwestern Guangxi; the southern Hainan island; the border mountainous regions of Guizhou, Hunan and Guangxi provinces; the mountainous regions of southwestern Hubei and northern Hunan; southwestern Zhejiang and western Fujian; central Sichuan and southern Gansu; and the western mountains of Guangdong. Moreover, the 12 counties with the greatest number of threatened plant species represent cumulatively more than 50% of the total listed species and, therefore, are the regions in China that should be prioritized for conservation efforts. By overlapping the map of threatened plant species with the distribution of national nature reserves, a gap was identified in protected areas. This research will ultimately provide insights for prioritizing biodiversity conservation as well as processing the mechanisms of distribution patterns.     

What do mammalogists want to save? Ten years of mammalian conservation biology

Recent upsurge of interest in biological diversity requests that resources for conservation be allocated to taxonomic groups and geographic areas of greater priority, independent of the attractiveness of individual species. The aim of this paper is to assess if contributed papers on four of the most important international conservation journals in the last ten years reflect our increasing concern for threatened mammals. Our results show that some orders receive disproportionally more attention than predicted by their absolute number and percentage of threatened species. The Nearctic and Palearctic Regions are far more studied than other like, for instance, the Oriental Region, which are badly neglected considering their higher rates of endangered and endemic mammals. Furthermore, it was found that among many orders most of the species covered in contributed papers are not presently considered threatened by IUCN. Our work highlights the need of assessing conservation priorities at least at continental level and of devoting more resources to research in tropical countries.     

基于标本和分布信息评估中国虾脊兰属 植物的濒危状况

兰科植物是生物多样性保护的旗舰类群之一, 但如何客观准确地评估兰科植物的濒危状况, 一直是生物多样性保护中急需解决的问题。本文以中国虾脊兰属(Calanthe)植物为例, 探讨了基于馆藏标本和野外分布信息进行兰科植物红色名录濒危等级评估的利弊。我们的研究表明, 馆藏标本能够比较客观地反映物种地理分布信息和相应的野外居群状况, 但对于物种分布的历史变化和受威胁因素反映不足; 而野外工作对于物种的实际分布状况和受威胁因素等的反映比较客观, 但能发现的物种和居群数量有限, 部分极小种群物种在短时间野外工作中很难发现。我们的研究认为, 有2种虾脊兰属植物应被评估为野外灭绝(EW), 16种应被评估为极度濒危(CR)。可见, 中国虾脊兰属植物濒危的状况远比前人的评估结果要严重得多。     

The desolation of Smaug: The human-driven decline of the Sungazer lizard (Smaug giganteus)

The Sungazer (Smaug giganteus) is a threatened lizard species endemic to the Highveld grasslands of South Africa. The species faces risks from habitat loss and fragmentation, and illegal harvesting for traditional medicine and the pet trade. Despite these threats, the current conservation status of the species was poorly validated. We visited 79 Sungazer populations recorded in 1978 to assess population change since the initial surveys, and surveyed an additional 164 sites to better define the distribution and estimate the current population size. We interrogated all known historical trade data of the species. One-third of Sungazer populations have been extirpated over the past 37 years. The distribution includes two allopatric populations, with the smaller Mpumalanga population experiencing a significantly higher decline. The species has an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 34 500 km², and an area of occupancy (AOO) of 1149 km². The interpreted distribution is 17 978 km², and just under 60% remains untransformed grassland. We estimate a population size of 677 000 mature individuals, down 48% from the estimated historical population, prior to commercial agricultural development. A total of 1194 live Sungazers were exported under permit from South Africa between 1985 and 2014, with a significant increase in numbers exported over the last decade. Without any evidence of captive breeding, we believe that these animals are all wild-caught. Based on the AOO, level of decline, fragmentation within the distribution and suspected level of exploitation, we recommend classification of the species as Vulnerable under IUCN Red List Criteria A2acd and B2ab(ii–v). The establishment of a protected area network, genetic research and further investigations into the pet and traditional medicine trades are urgently needed.     

The potential contribution of conifer plantations to the UK Biodiversity Action Plan

Summary

The detrimental effects of conifer plantations on open ground habitats have been well catalogued and discussed, but the potential contribution of planted forests to the conservation of woodland biodiversity has not been quantified to the same extent. This quantification is needed urgently to help forest managers fulfil commitments to biodiversity enhancement as outlined in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, the UK Forestry Standard and the UK Woodland Assurance Scheme (UKWAS). Results are presented from a five-year programme of research aimed at obtaining baseline information on biodiversity in planted forests and evaluating the contribution of planted forests to the conservation of native flora and fauna. Fifty-two plots were surveyed in total, covering a range of different tree crops (Scots pine Pinus sylvestris L., Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr., Norway spruce Picea abies L. and Corsican pine Pinus nigra var maritima (Aitón) Melville) and stand ages (pre-thicket, mid-rotation, mature and over-mature) in three contrasting bioclimatic zones (upland, foothills and lowlands) throughout Britain. Additional plots were established in semi-natural woodland to allow comparisons between the biodiversity of plantations and native stands. Over 2000 species were recorded in total, including 45 Red Data Book species. Planted stands had similar or richer fungal and invertebrate communities to those of the native stands but poorer lichen and vascular plant communities. The latter were strongly affected by shading, dense, mid-rotation Sitka spruce stands having the lowest species counts. In contrast, these stands had a high diversity of mycorrhizal fungi, including a number of rare and threatened species normally associated with native pine wood. Bryophyte species-richness was related more to climate than woodland type, with the wetter upland spruce and native oak stands having the most diverse communities. Compared to the younger planted stands, over-mature planted stands had a higher proportion of species characteristic of semi-natural woodland stands. This related to greater structural diversity and higher deadwood volumes in the over-mature stands. It is concluded that conifer plantations make a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation in the UK and hence to the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. No single stand or crop type provides ‘optimal’ conditions for biodiversity, but the habitat value of plantations could be enhanced by increasing the area managed under alternative systems to clear-felling, such as ‘continuous cover’ and/or non-intervention natural reserves.     

江苏珍稀濒危植物的多样性、分布及保护

掌握重点保护野生植物的濒危现状及评估濒危等级是制定科学保护策略的关键。根据江苏第二次重点保护野生植物资源调查(2012-2018)以及近年来相关调查资料, 我们采用世界自然保护联盟(IUCN)物种红色名录的濒危等级与评估标准, 对江苏分布的珍稀濒危植物的现状与濒危等级进行了评估与分析。结果表明: (1)江苏41种国家重点保护和濒危野生植物的濒危等级可以分为7个等级。包括地区灭绝(RE) 2种, 占总种数的4.88%; 极危(CR) 10种, 占24.39%; 濒危(EN) 6种, 占14.63%; 易危(VU) 13种, 占31.71%; 近危(NT) 2种, 占4.88%; 无危(LC) 2种, 占4.88%; 数据缺乏(DD) 6种, 占14.63%。其中, 受威胁物种(包括CR、EN和VU)有29种, 占总种数的70.73%。(2)建议的江苏重点保护野生植物有74种, 隶属于40科62属; 它们的受威胁比例较高, 达74.32%。江苏人口众多、环境资源压力较大, 近年来生产经营和土地利用方式的改变以及宣传教育不足很可能是导致这些原生物种濒危的主要原因。因此建议: (1)尽快制定江苏省级重点保护野生植物名录; (2)加强科学研究, 同时对部分濒危植物进行就地保护和迁地保护, 积极开展野外回归、近地保护和动态监测; (3)继续加大对重点保护野生植物的保护管理和宣传力度。     

The changing fates of the world's mammals

A 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 captive-breeding 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.     

Response to De Silva et al. (2007): Endemic freshwater finfish of Asia: distribution and conservation status

De Silva et al . (2007) present an overview of the distribution and conservation status of the endemic freshwater fish of Asia. Within that review they use data from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ (2006) to conduct an analysis of the conservation status of those endemic fish species. Their analysis is incorrect and provides a very misleading impression of the level of threat to Asian freshwater fish and to freshwater fish at the global scale. The errors stem from a misinterpretation of the data presented on the IUCN Red List. The sources of errors are discussed below and the opportunity is taken to clarify what the information on the IUCN Red List represents.