Abstract
National and international reports developed for the International Year of Biodiversity concluded that we have failed to meet the 2010 biodiversity target. There is an urgent need to analyze current policies for biodiversity conservation. We examined the anthropomorphic factors underlying the threatened species listings (both red lists and legal lists) and funding allocation for the conservation of vertebrates in Spain at different organizational levels, from the global to subnational level. Our results reveal a strong effect of anthropomorphic factors on conservation policies, mainly legal listings and species priority setting at national scale. Specifically, we found that those vertebrates that are phylogenetically close to humans or physically similar to human neonates tend to receive more conservation attention. Based on results, we suggest recommendations to improve conservation policies in Spain.
Highlights
Up to now, 193 countries endorsed through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) a commitment to reduce the rates of biodiversity loss by 2010 [1]
In order to analyze the effect of anthropomorphic factors on vertebrates conservation priority setting, we considered three dependent variables (Table 1): (1) the threatened species category in red lists, (2) the threatened species category in conservation legal listings, and (3) funding allocation for the conservation of vertebrates
Understanding which factors motivate species conservation legislation and species priority setting is essential for rede ning criteria for future conservation initiatives [62]
Summary
193 countries endorsed through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) a commitment to reduce the rates of biodiversity loss by 2010 [1]. One of the most important indicators developed for biodiversity is the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Index, which shows a net negative trend in the status of species [4]. Is indicator uses information from the IUCN Red List (http://www.iucnredlist.org/) to trace trends in the comprehensive extinction risks of various sets of species [8]. Half of all countries worldwide have developed national and regional threatened species lists [15], establishing threatened status as the most important indicator for conservation policies worldwide [16] and as an important tool in de ning conservation priorities [17, 18]. Increasingly governmental organizations rely on the IUCN Red List as well as on National Red Lists (NRLs; national red lists and red data books) to in uence conservation legislation inform priorities, and guide conservation investments [13, 18]
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