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Mapping Out How to Save Species


The following is a June 27, 2013, Newsroom Release from North Carolina State University with the title above:

In stunning color, new biodiversity research from North Carolina State University maps out priority areas worldwide that hold the key to protecting vulnerable species and focusing conservation efforts. The research, published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, pinpoints the highest global concentrations of mammals, amphibians, and birds on a scale that’s 100 times finer than previous assessments. The findings can be used to make the most of available conservation resources, said Dr. Clinton Jenkins, lead author and research scholar at NC State University.

“We must know where individual species live, which ones are vulnerable, and where human actions threaten them,” Jenkins said. “We have better data than in the past—and better analytical methods. Now we have married them for conservation purposes.”

To assess how well the bright-red priority areas are being protected, researchers calculated the percentage of priority areas that fell within existing protected zones. They produced colorful maps that offer a snapshot of worldwide efforts to protect vertebrate species and preserve biodiversity. More maps are available in high resolution on the Saving Species blog.

“The most important biodiversity areas do have a higher rate of protection than the global average. Unfortunately, it is still insufficient, given how important these areas are,” said co-author Dr. Lucas Joppa with Microsoft Research in Cambridge, England. “There is a growing worry that we are running out of time to expand the global network of protected areas.”

Researchers hope their work can guide expansion of protected areas before it’s too late. “The choice of which areas in the world receive protection will ultimately decide which species survive and which go extinct,” says co-author Dr. Stuart Pimm of Duke University. “We need the best available science to guide these decisions.” Jenkins’ work was supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Blue Moon Foundation, and a National Aeronautics and Space Agency Biodiversity Grant.

“Global patterns of terrestrial vertebrate diversity and conservation” was published online, the week of June 24, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; authors: Clinton N. Jenkins, North Carolina State University, Stuart L. Pimm, Duke University, and Lucas N. Joppa, Microsoft Research, Cambridge, England.

Abstract:

Identifying priority areas for biodiversity is essential for directing conservation resources. Fundamentally, we must know where individual species live, which ones are vulnerable, where human actions threaten them, and their levels of protection. As conservation knowledge and threats change, we must reevaluate priorities. We mapped priority areas for vertebrates using newly updated data on more than 21,000 species of mammals, amphibians, and birds. For each taxon, we identified centers of richness for all species, small-ranged species, and threatened species listed with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Importantly, all the analyses were at a spatial grain of 10 by 10 km, 100 times finer than previous assessments. This fine scale is a significant methodological improvement, because it brings mapping to scales comparable with regional decisions on where to place protected areas. We also mapped recent species discoveries, because they suggest where as-yet-unknown species might be living. To assess the protection of the priority areas, we calculated the percentage of the priority areas within protected areas using the latest data from the World Database of Protected Areas, providing a snapshot of how well the planet’s protected area system encompasses vertebrate biodiversity. Although the priority areas do have more protection than the global average, the level of protection still is insufficient given the importance of these areas for preventing vertebrate extinctions. We also found substantial differences between our identified vertebrate priorities and the leading map of global conservation priorities, the biodiversity hotspots. Our findings suggest a need to reassess the global knowledge of conservation resources to reflect today’s improved knowledge of biodiversity and conservation.

Image 1 for article titled "Mapping Out How to Save Species"
A global view showing combined species richness of amphibians, birds, and mammals in the Americas. The species diversity layer is overlain on topography, superimposed by major cities in white. Data from Clinton Jenkins, BirdLife and IUCN. Illustration design by Félix Pharand-Deschênes (Globaïa). “In our first view, we see colors that indicate the highest concentrations of the number of animal species across the world’s land masses. Deep reds and yellows cover much of the tropics, indicating a huge number of species. The world’s high latitudes and its deserts are blue, indicating relatively low vertebrate diversity. We can see clear geographic and geological patterns in these maps of life” (Saving Species blog)

Image 2 for article titled "Mapping Out How to Save Species"
In the globe above, we take a closer look at biodiversity in the Americas. The deep reds of Amazonian diversity stretch west into the Andes, but as one crosses over the Andes and toward the Pacific coast, total diversity drops off rapidly into greens and blues (Ibid.)

Image 3 for article titled "Mapping Out How to Save Species"
The different vertebrate groups do not follow the same patterns. If we split our map into its three constituent animal groups (birds, mammals, and amphibians), then our view of the world begins to change. Above, we show this split view for the Americas. The Amazon region is certainly diverse for everything, but we can see that the amphibians show exceptional concentrations of species in far western Amazonia. Both amphibians and birds show a peak of diversity in the southeast of Brazil, where SavingSpecies has been actively supporting local conservation. For now, we can represent only the birds, mammals, and amphibians, because the reptiles and fish are still too poorly known to produce such detailed maps (Ibid.)

Image 4 for article titled "Mapping Out How to Save Species"
For birds, the Andes are simply unparalleled for their concentrations of rare birds (bright yellow and red streaks). Within the Americas, only southeastern Brazil and parts of Central America come close to showing such concentrations of rare birds. Rare mammals are concentrated in much the same pattern (Ibid.)

Image 5 for article titled "Mapping Out How to Save Species"
For amphibians, the concentration of these super-rare species is even more extreme. The map above shows how a handful of small regions in the Andes have exceptional concentrations of rare amphibians. In these and nearby regions scientists are discovering many new amphibians, just at the time when their habitats are disappearing faster than ever before (Ibid.)

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