Big wins for conservation when evolutionarily unique and globally endangered animals are prioritised, say scientists.
Conservation efforts targeting just 0.7% of the Earth’s land surface could help to protect one third of the world’s most endangered and evolutionarily unique animals, a study published in Nature Communications reveals.
In the midst of a global biodiversity crisis, conservationists argue over which areas should be prioritised for protection. Should it be the areas with the most endemic species, the most endangered species or the highest levels of biodiversity? Or should it be the areas that contain Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species?
EDGE species are unique branches on the tree of life. They represent large amounts of threatened evolutionary history and are often quite unique in the way that they look, live and behave. Yet, despite this, their homes are often under-protected and overlooked.
New research from Imperial College London, On the Edge and the Zoological Society of London shows that large gains in conservation can be achieved by focussing on areas that are rich in EDGE species. These endangered species include animals like the aye-aye, a distinctive lemur from Madagascar; the puddle frogs of Cameroon; and the gharial, a long-snouted crocodile from southern Asia.
Researchers mapped the distribution of nearly 3,000 four-legged EDGE species, and identified 25 hotspots, spread across 5 continents and 33 countries. Three quarters of all these species are found in Madagascar, but other important regions include the Amazon basin, the Atlantic Forest, parts of Southeast Asia, the North Indian River Plain and the Eastern Arc mountains of East Africa.
“Our research highlights the regions of the world that are of immediate concern,” says lead author Sebastian Pipins. At present, however, just 20% of the areas identified in the study are protected, with most regions facing consistent and increasing levels of human disturbance. The people that live in these places face high levels of deprivation, with low standards of education, health and living conditions. This makes it hard for their governments to commit to conservation.
“Given the global importance of the biodiversity found within these regions, high-income countries must mobilise funding to facilitate sustainable development that can benefit both humans and nature,” Pipins says.
Read more about the study: Advancing EDGE Zones to identify spatial conservation priorities of tetrapod evolutionary history
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