Climate change and opposing spatial conservation priorities for anuran protection in the Brazilian hotspots

In conservation biogeography, the process of spatial conservation prioritization (SCP) aims to select areas that meet biodiversity targets at a minimum set coverage. Here, we propose a SCP scheme for the highly endemic and diverse anuran fauna of the Atlantic Forest (AF) and Cerrado (CER) South American hotspots under different climate change scenarios. Specifically, we make use of predicted anuran occurrences, built for baseline and future (2050 and 2070) time slices, and address biological and conservation metrics to identify potential priority regions for anuran conservation over time using the software MARXAN. Considering each time slice separately, the percentage area needed for total anuran representation varies at magnitudes of 9.8–10.66% for the AF and 6.4–8.8% for the CER. Pooling all time slices together in the selected conservation network, the identified spatial priorities account for 15.56% and 13.25% of the total AF and CER areas respectively. However, we identified opposing strategies for the anuran spatial conservation prioritization in the AF and CER over the different time periods; the increasing of priority cells across time considering the potential species redistribution under climate change in the AF, and the selection of fewer priority cells in the future than the identified for the baseline climate in the CER. The southeastern AF coast was identified as a priority area for amphibian conservation in this hotspot, as well as some other smaller areas in the northern and southern regions. Priority areas identified in the CER, although patchy distributed across the hotspot, are found in specific central-northern, western, and southeastern regions. The different conservation strategies identified in the present SCP emphasize the need for establishing different conservation efforts according to a sequential scheduling of priority areas that optimizes the long-term conservation goals.     

Environmental correlates of anuran beta diversity in the Brazilian Cerrado

Evolutionary processes are known to influence contemporary patterns of biological diversity, yet disentangling the effects of current and historical drivers of biodiversity patterns remain challenging. We use spatial analyses of community dissimilarity to generate hypotheses about the current and historical processes underlying patterns of beta diversity in anuran species in the Brazilian Cerrado. Specifically, we use a generalized dissimilarity modeling (GDM) approach to model compositional dissimilarity of anuran species and endemics as a function of geographic separation and local (within‐Cerrado) environmental conditions. To gain insight about potential historical processes, we incorporate information from biomes adjacent to the Cerrado to investigate whether environmental conditions in neighboring areas can help explain patterns of beta diversity within the Cerrado. Patterns of anuran beta diversity of both endemics and all species in the Cerrado appear to be strongly influenced by local environmental gradients, with elevation as one of the most important variables in all models. However, in models using endemic species only, environmental conditions of adjacent biomes were related to beta‐diversity patterns, and more strongly so, than to total species models. These results suggest that phylogenetic niche conservatism within species groups that invaded the Cerrado from adjacent biomes may cause these species to be restricted to environmental conditions within the Cerrado that are most similar to the conditions in the adjacent biome where they originated. Time‐calibrated phylogenies of Cerrado endemics and studies of ancestral and current ranges of Cerrado species are needed to test this hypothesis.     

Biogeography and priority areas for the conservation of bats in the Brazilian Cerrado

In this study, we describe the distribution pattern of bat species and select priority areas for the conservation of the Cerrado based on a systematic planning approach. We estimated species richness and calculated the total beta diversity based on Sørensen’s dissimilarity index (βsor). We estimated the species turnover using Simpson’s dissimilarity index (βsim). We then evaluated the nesting (βsne) by the difference between the dissimilarity indices (βsor and βsim). Based on this analysis, we identified the priority areas for the conservation of bats in the Cerrado based on the zonation approach. We found that the species richness and beta diversity of bats in the Cerrado are concentrated primarily in the central and northern portions of the biome. We also discovered that the conservation units of the Cerrado are ineffective for the protection of species with a restricted distribution (≤ 150 grid cells), such as Vampyrum spectrum, for which we propose the creation of new conservation units that better cover the diversity patterns observed in the present study. By conserving this diversity, we will also be protecting local habitats, which will in turn enable the survival of a wide range of species, and provide the ecosystems with the capacity to respond adequately to future changes in the environment.     

Biodiversity surrogate groups and conservation priority areas: birds of the Brazilian Cerrado

The choice of surrogates of biodiversity is an important aspect in conservation biology. The quantification of the coincidence in the spatial patterns of species richness and rarity between different groups and the vulnerability of groups are different approaches frequently considered to accomplish this task. However, a more appropriate approach is to verify the efficiency of priority networks selected using information from one group of organisms to capture the biodiversity of other groups. Using a deconstructive approach, the main purposes of this study were to evaluate the performance of some orders and families of birds in the Cerrado biome (a savanna-like biome) as surrogates of other bird groups, in a pairwise analysis, and to investigate the characteristics of these groups that predict the efficiency in representation of other groups. We used biogeographical data on bird orders or families with more than 10 species that occur in the Brazilian Cerrado. The best surrogate group was the Thamnophilidae. Moreover, this group is not the most specious, favouring further survey efforts that are necessary to verify the conservation value of areas at suitable scales. The majority of the species from this family are dependent on forest habitats, one of the characteristics that most influenced representativeness level, probably due to the spatial distribution of these habitats throughout the Brazilian Cerrado. Beta diversity patterns of the different groups also affected representativeness, and our analyses showed that the networks selected by a surrogate group will be more effective in the representation of other groups of species if their patterns of beta diversity (not richness) are correlated.     

Integrating phylogenetic and functional biodiversity facets to guide conservation: a case study using anurans in a global biodiversity hotspot

The Cerrado is one of the most threatened biomes in Brazil, with little spatial representation within the Protected Area network. Recently, proposed conservation plans worldwide have advocated for the use of multiple biodiversity facets to protect unique evolutionary and functional processes. Our aim was to identify areas with high biodiversity representativeness applying this multifaceted perspective, and propose conservation plans based on the joint analysis of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity. We used a database of the Brazilian National Program for Research in Biodiversity, which employs a standard protocol for sampling tadpoles. The Cerrado database includes samples from 165 water bodies spread over 15 localities, covering most of the Central Brazilian Cerrado. We selected four morphological traits to calculate functional diversity and used a dated phylogeny available in the literature to compute phylogenetic diversity. Our approach selected five priority areas for conservation, one of which is already protected. Our results highlighted the importance of four new areas which show high values of diversity, including original lineages and traits, and urgently need conservation prioritization. Furthermore, unlike the current protected network, our approach performs significantly better than random at protecting sites with high phylogenetic and functional diversity. We therefore discuss how the multifaceted indices considered can help protect key ecosystem functions and evolutionary legacy in anuran communities of the Brazilian Cerrado.     

Anuran species richness,complementarity and conservation conflicts in Brazilian Cerrado

Broad-scale correlations between species richness and human population suggest that processes driving species richness, mainly related to high ecological productivity, may also drive human populations. However, it is still under debate if this coincidence implies conflicts between biodiversity conservation and human development. In this paper, we analyzed the relationships among human population size, species richness and irreplaceability in Brazilian Cerrado. We analyzed a dataset with 131 species of anurans distributed in 181 cells with 1° of spatial resolution covering the biome. We found a positive correlation between human population size and anuran species richness (r = 0.46; P = 0.033 with 19.5 geographically effective degrees of freedom, v*), but the irreplaceability of each cell was poorly correlated with human population size (r = 0.075; P = 0.323; v* = 173.9). The 17 cells in the 97 optimal reserve networks contained a total human population ranging from 2942,195 to 4319,845 people, representing on average 11.8% of the human population in the entire Cerrado grid. The comparison of these observed values with 10,000 values from randomly generated networks suggests a relatively high flexibility in optimal complementarity sets for reserve selection. Our results indicated that correlation between richness and human population does not necessarily result in conflicts, given the opportunities for conciliating conservation and development. However, the analyses performed here are initial explorations within the framework of conservation biogeography, so more detailed studies are necessary to establish conservation planning at regional and local scales.     

Unprotecting the rare species: a niche‐based gap analysis for odonates in a core Cerrado area

Aim We evaluated Odonata distribution data and predicted the compositional resemblance based on niche‐based species distribution models to analyse the following questions: (1) How is estimated species richness distributed, and how can it be preserved under the actual network of conservation units (a gap analysis approach)? (2) How is the estimated odonate beta diversity distributed, and is there a better distribution of conservation units (a priority setting approach)? (3) Is the probability of being under protection a function of the potential species range size? and (4) Will the current conservation network proposals protect odonate taxa? Location Central Brazil in a core Cerrado area. Methods We generated odonate species distribution predictions based on MaxEnt and maps derived from estimated species richness, beta diversity and gap analysis for all species predicted to occur in the study area. Then, we compared these maps with current conservation units, land‐use patterns and proposals for the establishment of conservation units. Results Raw odonate species records provided limited utility for setting conservation priorities without the use of niche‐based models. However, area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) values were characterized by substantial variation that was related to the number of records. No current conservation units overlapped the areas with higher predicted richness and beta diversity, and in general, conservation units were not preserving restricted/rare species. There was a direct linear correlation between species range size and the proportion of its range protected in the current network of conservation units. Finally, we identified three areas with high odonate beta diversity where conservationist actions should be implemented. Main conclusions Current conservation units and future suggested areas do not overlap regions with high conservation values for odonates. Conservation units protect species at random, and the level of protection has a direct relationship with species range size; thus, wide‐range species are expected to be more protected than restricted or threatened species.     

Conservation biogeography of mammals in the Cerrado biome under the unified theory of macroecology

Understanding what limits the distribution and abundance of species is critical for adopting optimal conservation planning strategies, although it is still difficult to obtain abundance data at broad spatial scales. Here we propose conservation priorities in the Brazilian Cerrado based on density values of 108 mammal species. These values were estimated by an abundant-centre model coupled with McGill and Collin's unified theory for macroecology. We assumed that species' densities decay with a Gaussian distribution towards the range borders from a maximum density placed at the centre of each species' range. We used allometric equations to estimate maximum densities, at the Cerrado region we corrected the estimated densities by the natural vegetation remnants. Then we used a Simulated Annealing algorithm to select alternative sets of areas that met several levels of minimum viable population sizes (MVPSs) for each species. With low MVPSs, there were a small number of highly irreplaceable areas located in the northwest region of the biome, whereas with high MVPSs, highly irreplaceable areas occurred in up to 95% of the biome. By incorporating principles from the unified theory of macroecology, we were able to generate a conservation network for the Cerrado biome aiming to prioritise species' persistence and not just their presence.     

Are conservation units in the Caatinga biome,Brazil, efficient in the protection of biodiversity? An analysis based on the drosophilid fauna

Biodiversity is believed to be low in regions with vegetation that has adapted to water stress. Additionally, there is little interest by authorities in establishing and expanding conservation units in these areas. In Brazil, the Caatinga and the Cerrado biomes comprise this xerophilous vegetation. In both, climate is tropical and the dry season is long and well-defined. The Caatinga is the Brazilian biome with the smallest area protected by conservation units. This study evaluates the efficacy of conservation units in the Caatinga biome based on abundance and richness of drosophilids. Flies were collected inside and outside these areas. In total, approximately 23,000 flies of 32 species were collected in six conservation and six non-conservation sites. Two non-described species occurred exclusively inside protected areas, underlining the importance of conservation efforts in the maintenance of biodiversity. Other species were recorded exclusively outside conservation areas, which emphasizes the importance of establishing and expanding conservation units in the Caatinga. Native species were significantly more abundant inside conservation units, though the richness was similar in protected and non-protected areas. Abundance of exotic species outside conservation areas was statistically different in comparison with that of native ones.     

Geographical ecology and conservation of Eugenia L. (Myrtaceae) in the Brazilian Cerrado: Past,present and future

Human actions have caused the fragmentation of natural vegetation, habitat loss and climate change. The Cerrado, considered one of the global hotspots of diversity, has suffered great habitat loss due to these factors, which has been aggravated by the agricultural expansion that took place during the last 60 years. In this context, we chose species of the genus Eugenia L. (Myrtaceae) occurring in the Brazilian Cerrado to describe richness patterns and range loss, and determine conservation priorities for the Cerrado. Ecological niche models (ENMs) were applied to calculate the geographical range of each species in the past (Last Glacial Maximum – LGM, 21 000 years ago), present (PIP, representing current climatic conditions – 1760 years ago) and future (near future – NF, 2080–2100). These results were combined to calculate the richness of the group and also to estimate the range loss of these species in the future. Moreover, we evaluated the irreplaceability of areas for species conservation, aiming to maximize the biotic stability of Eugenia species. Our results showed that the highest species richness in the past was found in the southwestern region of the Cerrado and, currently, the richest regions are found in the central and southeastern areas. However, in the future, we predict a shift of the greatest values of richness towards the southeastern region, an area currently occupied by the Atlantic forest. Although areas with high conservation priorities were found scattered across the biome, this shift is worrisome due to the high fragmentation rate and intensive human occupation thoughout the Atlantic region. Thus, conservation efforts should focus on areas found within these limits.     

Geographic body size gradients in tropical regions: water deficit and anuran body size in the Brazilian Cerrado

A recent interspecific study found Bergmann's size clines for Holarctic anurans and proposed an explanation based on heat balance to account for the pattern. However, this analysis was limited to cold temperate regions, and exploring the patterns in warmer tropical climates may reveal other factors that also influence anuran body size variation. We address this using a Cerrado anuran database. We examine the relationship between mean body size in a grid of 1° cells and environmental predictors and test the relative support for four hypotheses using an AIC-based model selection approach. Also, we considered three different amphibian phylogenies to partition the phylogenetic and specific components of the interspecific variation in body size using a method analogous to phylogenetic eigen vector regression (PVR). To consider the potential effects of spatial autocorrelation we use eigenvector-based spatial filters. We found the largest species inhabiting high water deficit areas in the northeast and the smallest in the wet southwest. Our results are consistent with the water availability hypothesis which, coupled with previous findings, suggests that the major determinant of interspecific body size variation in anurans switches from energy to water towards the equator. We propose that anuran body size gradients reflect effects of reduced surface to volume ratios in larger species to control both heat and water balance.     

State-of-knowledge on Myracrodruon urundeuva Fr. Allemão (Anacardiaceae) for genetic conservation in Brazil

This study explores the basis for conservation action on Myracrodruon urundeuva Fr. Allemão (Anacardiaceae). This is a wide-ranging forest species occurring in Brazil and other South American countries, notably in the Cerrado region. This paper aims to provide a structured review of available knowledge of its biology, ecology, silviculture and management. Widely-scattered published reports have been critically considered and efforts made to highlight and resolve contradictions and inconsistencies. Information about this species is scanty and scattered, particularly in respect to its biology and ecology. Some effort has been applied to its domestication and improvement, but opinion on its silviculture and management is still controversial. The taxon is typical of open and deciduous forest in the Cerrado. Gaps in current knowledge relevant for conservation are identified and steps to fill them proposed. Where in situ conservation proved to be more appropriate, recommendations are made for the location of additional protected areas. Complementary ex situ and enrichment conservation actions are suggested for specific parts of the range where resource losses are already so extensive that in situ measures alone are inadvisable. Opportunities for refining the limited management and conservation knowledge are proposed by highlighting priorities for study of the taxon. Finally, future action is discussed in the context of the infrastructure of the national conservation sector.     

Putting bryophyte communities in the map: A case study on prioritizing monitoring of human pressure in riverscapes

Freshwater ecosystems support biological communities with high species richness and conservation interest. However, these ecosystems are highly altered by human intervention and threatened worldwide, making them a priority in conservation planning and biodiversity monitoring. Bryophytes, including several conservation-interest taxa, are recognized indicators of ecological status in freshwaters. We aimed to develop a framework for designing monitoring networks to detect trends in aquatic and semi-aquatic bryophyte communities, prioritizing high-conservation interest communities in different contexts of human pressure (specifically, resulting from the intersection of two criteria: (i) protection status and (ii) presence of a potential impact area).The framework consists of three steps: (1) Spatial modelling of biodiversity; (2) Spatial conservation prioritization; and (3) Model-assisted monitoring network design. Community-level modelling was used to model the distribution of the main bryophyte assemblages in the study area. A conservation prioritization software was utilized to identify areas with high conservation value. The monitoring network was designed using stratified random sampling and unequal-probability sampling techniques to target high conservation value sites distributed across different contexts of human pressure.We have identified four distinct community types, each characterized both by a small group of common and dominant species, and by small group of rarer, conservation-interest species. This typification of four species assemblages occurring in the study area, also highlighted those with potentially higher conservation-interest. The most valuable areas for the conservation of aquatic and semi-aquatic bryophyte communities coincide with specific environmental zones: mountainous areas in Lusitania, large watercourses in the Mediterranean North and some locations in the Mediterranean Mountains. Finally, we obtained a potential monitoring network consisting of 64 monitoring points, unequally distributed across different contexts of human pressure, privileging locations with higher conservation value.The framework presented here illustrates the potential of combining biodiversity modelling, spatial conservation prioritization and monitoring design in the development of monitoring networks. Namely, this framework allowed us to counter data deficiencies, to identify high priority areas to monitor and to design a monitoring network considering different scenarios of human pressure at a regional scale.This framework can also be valuable for conservation efforts as an approach to monitoring conservation-interest biodiversity features in anthropogenically modified riverscapes, which present different degrees of human pressure and the cumulative effects of these different impact elements. Moreover, this approach allows for the comprehensive monitoring of biodiversity values important for management at the national and regional levels. In addition, this framework is one of the first efforts in the development of monitoring networks that target aquatic and semi-aquatic bryophyte communities, a long-neglected plant group of high ecological and conservation importance in freshwater ecosystems.     

State-of-knowledge on Amburana cearensis (Fr. Allem.) A.C. Smith (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae) for genetic conservation in Brazil

This study explores the basis for conservation action on Amburana cearensis (Fr. Allem.) A.C. Smith (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae), a wide-ranging forest species occurring in Brazil, notably in the Caatinga and Cerrado regions, and other South American countries. It offers insight into the taxon through structured reviews of knowledge of its biology, ecology, silviculture and management. Widely scattered published reports are critically considered and efforts made to highlight and resolve contradictions and inconsistencies therein. Information about this species is scanty and scattered, particularly in respect to its biology and ecology. Because little effort has been applied to its domestication and improvement, knowledge of its silviculture and management is meagre. The taxon is typical of open and deciduous forest in the Caatinga and Cerrado. Gaps in current knowledge relevant for conservation are identified and steps to fill them proposed. Where in situ conservation proved to be more appropriate, recommendations are made for the location of additional protected areas. Ex situ and enrichment conservation action is highly recommended for specific parts of the range where resource losses are already so extensive that in situ measures alone are inadvisable. Provision for refining the limited management and conservation knowledge is made through highlighting priorities for study of the taxon. Finally, future action is discussed in the context of the infrastructure of the national conservation sector.     

An assessment of endemism and species richness patterns in the Australian Anura

Aim To assemble a continental‐scale data set of all available anuran records and investigate trends in endemism and species richness for the Anura. Location Continental Australia. Methods 97,338 records were assembled, covering 75% of the continent. A neighbourhood analysis was applied to recorded locations for each species to measure richness and endemism for each half‐degree grid square (c. 50 km) in the continent. This analysis was performed for all anurans, and also for each of the three main anuran families found in Australia. A Monte Carlo simulation was used to test a null hypothesis that observed centres of endemism could result simply from an unstructured overlapping of species ranges of different sizes. Results Eleven main centres of anuran endemism were identified, the most important being the Wet Tropics and the south‐west near Bunbury‐Augusta and near Walpole. With the exception of south‐western Australia, all of the identified significant endemic centres are in the northern half of the continent. The regions identified as significant for endemism differed from those identified for species richness and are more localized. Species richness is greatest in the Wet Tropics and the Border Ranges. High species richness also occurs in several areas not previously identified along the east and northern coasts. Main conclusions Weighted endemism provides a new approach for determining significant areas for anuran conservation in Australia and areas can be identified that could be targeted for beneficial conservation gains. Patterns in endemism were found to vary markedly between the three main anuran families, and south‐eastern Australia was found to be far less significant than indicated by previous studies. The need for further survey work in inland Australia is highlighted and several priority areas suggested. Our results for species richness remain broadly consistent with trends previously observed for the Australian Anura.     

Expected impacts of climate change threaten the anuran diversity in the Brazilian hotspots

We performed Ecological Niche Models (ENMs) to generate climatically suitable areas for anurans in the Brazilian hotspots, the Atlantic Forest (AF), and Cerrado (CER), considering the baseline and future climate change scenarios, to evaluate the differences in the alpha and beta diversity metrics across time. We surveyed anuran occurrence records and generated ENMs for 350 and 155 species in the AF and CER. The final predictive maps for the baseline, 2050, and 2070 climate scenarios, based on an ensemble approach, were used to estimate the alpha (local species richness) and beta diversity metrics (local contribution to beta diversity index and its decomposition into replacement and nestedness components) in each ~50 × 50 km grid cell of the hotspots. Climate change is not expected to drastically change the distribution of the anuran richness gradients, but to negatively impact their whole extensions (i.e., cause species losses throughout the hotspots), except the northeastern CER that is expected to gain in species richness. Areas having high beta diversity are expected to decrease in northeastern CER, whereas an increase is expected in southeastern/southwestern CER under climate change. High beta diversity areas are expected to remain in the same AF locations as the prediction of the baseline climate, but the predominance of species loss under climate change is expected to increase the nestedness component in the hotspot. These results suggest that the lack of similar climatically suitable areas for most species will be the main challenge that species will face in the future. Finally, the application of the present framework to a wide range of taxa is an important step for the conservation of threatened biomes.     

Global patterns in anuran–prey networks: structure mediated by latitude

Life on Earth is supported by an infinite number of interactions among organisms. Species interactions in these networks are influenced by latitude, evolutionary history and species traits. We performed a global‐scale literature analysis to build up a database of interactions between anuran communities and their preys, from a wide range of geographical areas, using a network approach. For this purpose, we compiled a total of 55 weighted anuran–prey interaction networks, 39 located in the tropics and 16 in temperate areas. We tested the influence of latitude, as well as anuran taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic richness on network metrics. We found that anuran–prey networks are not nested, exhibit low complementary specialization and modularity and high connectance when compared to other types of networks. The main effects on network metrics were related to latitude, followed by anuran taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic richness, a pattern similar to the emerging in mutualistic networks. Our study is the first integrated analysis of the structural patterns in anuran–prey antagonistic interaction networks in different parts of the world. We suggest that different processes, mediated mainly by latitude, are modeling the architecture of anuran–prey networks across the globe.     

Squamate richness in the Brazilian Cerrado and its environmental–climatic associations

We investigate patterns of species richness of squamates (lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians) in the Brazilian Cerrado, identifying areas of particularly high richness, and testing predictions of large‐scale richness hypotheses by analysing the relationship between species richness and environmental climatic variables. We used point localities from museum collections to produce maps of the predicted distributions for 237 Cerrado squamate species, using niche‐modelling techniques. We superimposed distributions of all species on a composite map, depicting richness across the ecosystem. Then, we performed a multiple regression analysis using eigenvector‐based spatial filtering (Principal Coordinate of Neighbour Matrices) to assess environmental–climatic variables that are best predictors of species richness. We found that the environmental–climatic and spatial filters multiple regression model explained 78% of the variation in Cerrado squamate richness (r² = 0.78; F = 32.66; P < 0.01). Best predictors of species richness were: annual precipitation, precipitation seasonality, altitude, net primary productivity, and precipitation during the driest quarter. A model selection approach revealed that several mechanisms related to the different diversity hypothesis might work together to explain richness variation in the Cerrado. Areas of higher species richness in Cerrado were located mainly in the south‐west, north, extreme east, and scattered areas in the north‐west portions of the biome. Partitioning of energy among species, habitat differentiation, and tolerance to variable environments may be the primary ecological factors determining variation in squamate richness across the Cerrado. High richness areas in northern Cerrado, predicted by our models, are still poorly sampled, and biological surveys are warranted in that region. The south‐western region of the Cerrado exhibits high species richness and is also undergoing high levels of deforestation. Therefore, maintenance of existing reserves, establishment of ecological corridors among reserves, and creation of new reserves are urgently needed to ensure conservation of species in these areas.     

Relative need for conservation assessments of vascular plant species among ecoregions

Aim (1) To determine the relative need for conservation assessments of vascular plant species among the world’s ecoregions given under‐assessed species distributions; (2) to evaluate the challenge posed by the lack of financial resources on species assessment efforts; and (3) to demonstrate the utility of nonlinear mixed‐effects models with both homoscedastic and heteroscedastic error structures in the identification of species‐rich ecoregions. Location Global. Methods We identified the world’s ecoregions that contain the highest vascular plant species richness after controlling for area using species–area relationship (SAR) models built within a mixed‐effects multi‐model framework. Using quantitative thresholds, ecoregions with the highest plant species richness, historical habitat loss and projected increase in human population density were deemed to be most in need of conservation assessments of plant species. We used generalized linear models to test if countries that overlap with highly important ecoregions are poorer compared with others. Results We classed ecoregions into nine categories based on the relative need for conservation assessments of vascular plant species. Ecoregions of highest relative need are found mostly in the tropics, particularly Southeast Asia, Central America, Tropical Andes and the Cerrado of South America, and the East African montane region and its surrounding areas. Countries overlapping with ecoregions deemed important for conservation assessments are poorer as measured by their capita gross national income than the other countries. The nonlinear mixed modelling framework was effective in reducing residual spatial autocorrelation compared with nonlinear models comprised of only fixed effects. In contrasting multiple SAR models to identify species‐rich ecoregions, there was not one SAR model that fitted best across all biomes. Not all SAR models displayed homoscedastic errors; therefore it is important to consider models with both homoscedastic and heteroscedastic error structures. Main conclusions We propose that conservation assessments should be conducted first in ecoregions with the greatest predicted species richness, historical habitat loss and future human population increase. As ecoregions deemed to be important for conservation assessments are located in the poorest countries, we urge international aid agencies and botanic gardens to cooperate with both local and international scientists to fund and implement conservation assessment programmes there.