Using indices of species’ potential range to inform conservation status

Assessments of conservation status are typically based on short-term extinction risk, but the value of indicators that compare the current state of species (e.g., abundance or distribution) to potential baselines is increasingly recognised. The use of baselines in conservation legislation is hindere...

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Autores principales:	Tom H.E. Mason, Philip A. Stephens, Gillian Gilbert, Rhys E. Green, Jeremy D. Wilson, Kate Jennings, Judy R.M. Allen, Brian Huntley, Christine Howard, Stephen G. Willis
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Elsevier 2021
Materias:	Baselines Birds Conservation status Favourable conservation status Great Britain Land use change Ecology QH540-549.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/e74d07b5067444ff95f414dcdc038998
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:e74d07b5067444ff95f414dcdc0389982021-12-01T04:43:27ZUsing indices of species’ potential range to inform conservation status1470-160X10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107343https://doaj.org/article/e74d07b5067444ff95f414dcdc0389982021-04-01T00:00:00Zhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2100008Xhttps://doaj.org/toc/1470-160XAssessments of conservation status are typically based on short-term extinction risk, but the value of indicators that compare the current state of species (e.g., abundance or distribution) to potential baselines is increasingly recognised. The use of baselines in conservation legislation is hindered by ambiguity in how baselines should be determined and interpreted, leading to inconsistent application. Here, we explored the use of species’ potential ranges as a consistent means of quantifying baselines for assessing species’ distributions, a key component of conservation status. Using breeding birds of Great Britain (GB) as a case study, we simulated where bird species would be expected to occur today in a modelled world without human land use. We calculated indices that contrasted these potential human-free ranges with realised ranges. Our analyses revealed that 42% of GB birds have wider realised than potential ranges and 28% have narrower realised than potential ranges. These indices could lead to reassessments of current conservation priorities. Eighteen species assigned ‘least concern’ status by the GB regional IUCN Red List had much narrower realised than potential ranges, suggesting that their ranges are in a more degraded state than currently recognised by Red List criteria. Some of these species are not under active conservation management and could be candidates for higher prioritisation. Our approach provides a systematic means of quantifying range baselines that is not reliant on variable historic data or expert opinion and, thereby, provides a step forward in resolving a major contemporary problem in conservation assessment: how to set baselines in conservation consistently. The insights produced are also of wider scientific and cultural relevance, revealing where species would likely exist today in the absence of historic human impacts. This could be used to identify areas where targeted restoration actions might lead to the return of historically extirpated species, or even to novel colonists.Tom H.E. MasonPhilip A. StephensGillian GilbertRhys E. GreenJeremy D. WilsonKate JenningsJudy R.M. AllenBrian HuntleyChristine HowardStephen G. WillisElsevierarticleBaselinesBirdsConservation statusFavourable conservation statusGreat BritainLand use changeEcologyQH540-549.5ENEcological Indicators, Vol 123, Iss , Pp 107343- (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Baselines Birds Conservation status Favourable conservation status Great Britain Land use change Ecology QH540-549.5
spellingShingle	Baselines Birds Conservation status Favourable conservation status Great Britain Land use change Ecology QH540-549.5 Tom H.E. Mason Philip A. Stephens Gillian Gilbert Rhys E. Green Jeremy D. Wilson Kate Jennings Judy R.M. Allen Brian Huntley Christine Howard Stephen G. Willis Using indices of species’ potential range to inform conservation status
description	Assessments of conservation status are typically based on short-term extinction risk, but the value of indicators that compare the current state of species (e.g., abundance or distribution) to potential baselines is increasingly recognised. The use of baselines in conservation legislation is hindered by ambiguity in how baselines should be determined and interpreted, leading to inconsistent application. Here, we explored the use of species’ potential ranges as a consistent means of quantifying baselines for assessing species’ distributions, a key component of conservation status. Using breeding birds of Great Britain (GB) as a case study, we simulated where bird species would be expected to occur today in a modelled world without human land use. We calculated indices that contrasted these potential human-free ranges with realised ranges. Our analyses revealed that 42% of GB birds have wider realised than potential ranges and 28% have narrower realised than potential ranges. These indices could lead to reassessments of current conservation priorities. Eighteen species assigned ‘least concern’ status by the GB regional IUCN Red List had much narrower realised than potential ranges, suggesting that their ranges are in a more degraded state than currently recognised by Red List criteria. Some of these species are not under active conservation management and could be candidates for higher prioritisation. Our approach provides a systematic means of quantifying range baselines that is not reliant on variable historic data or expert opinion and, thereby, provides a step forward in resolving a major contemporary problem in conservation assessment: how to set baselines in conservation consistently. The insights produced are also of wider scientific and cultural relevance, revealing where species would likely exist today in the absence of historic human impacts. This could be used to identify areas where targeted restoration actions might lead to the return of historically extirpated species, or even to novel colonists.
format	article
author	Tom H.E. Mason Philip A. Stephens Gillian Gilbert Rhys E. Green Jeremy D. Wilson Kate Jennings Judy R.M. Allen Brian Huntley Christine Howard Stephen G. Willis
author_facet	Tom H.E. Mason Philip A. Stephens Gillian Gilbert Rhys E. Green Jeremy D. Wilson Kate Jennings Judy R.M. Allen Brian Huntley Christine Howard Stephen G. Willis
author_sort	Tom H.E. Mason
title	Using indices of species’ potential range to inform conservation status
title_short	Using indices of species’ potential range to inform conservation status
title_full	Using indices of species’ potential range to inform conservation status
title_fullStr	Using indices of species’ potential range to inform conservation status
title_full_unstemmed	Using indices of species’ potential range to inform conservation status
title_sort	using indices of species’ potential range to inform conservation status
publisher	Elsevier
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/e74d07b5067444ff95f414dcdc038998
work_keys_str_mv	AT tomhemason usingindicesofspeciespotentialrangetoinformconservationstatus AT philipastephens usingindicesofspeciespotentialrangetoinformconservationstatus AT gilliangilbert usingindicesofspeciespotentialrangetoinformconservationstatus AT rhysegreen usingindicesofspeciespotentialrangetoinformconservationstatus AT jeremydwilson usingindicesofspeciespotentialrangetoinformconservationstatus AT katejennings usingindicesofspeciespotentialrangetoinformconservationstatus AT judyrmallen usingindicesofspeciespotentialrangetoinformconservationstatus AT brianhuntley usingindicesofspeciespotentialrangetoinformconservationstatus AT christinehoward usingindicesofspeciespotentialrangetoinformconservationstatus AT stephengwillis usingindicesofspeciespotentialrangetoinformconservationstatus
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Using indices of species’ potential range to inform conservation status

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