Abstract
Conservation actions such as habitat protection, restoration, and translocations are critical actions in preventing further extinctions of threatened species. We used the 152 threatened species on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List with conservation translocations as a recommended conservation action to access the habitat quality of these species’ ranges. We determined where multi-species conservation translocation and forest restoration efforts can be concentrated. To determine the habitat quality of species’ ranges, we assessed forest cover, forest restoration potential, protected area status, and invasive species concerns. Forty-four percent (67 species) of species with translocations recommended have part of their range in a protected area, existing forest cover, and currently no invasive species risk. However, the majority (85 species) currently need habitat management (63 species), invasive species control (71 species), or protection (34 species). We also identified key differences between species recommended for reintroductions (115 species) and benign introductions (37 species), such as the percentage of a species’ range within a protected area, in which reintroductions (median = 7.4%) had more than benign introductions (median = 0.9%). Mauritius, central Africa, eastern Australia and Himalaya regions each have areas with range overlap of three or more species recommended for translocations and forest restoration potential. For those species with CT programs in place, mean forest cover was 32% and restoration potential was 16%, suggesting potential minimum habitat requirements for initial releases. Results provide a global perspective on reintroduction and translocation needs of threatened species with evidenced-based information on habitat quality, i.e. forest restoration potential, forest cover, protected areas, and invasive species control, to aid conservation translocation scientists and ultimately improve the success of such projects.
Highlights
Habitat loss is and will continue to be one of the main drivers of species population declines and extinctions for the foreseeable future [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
Threatened species reintroductions are a subset of Conservation translocation (CT) focused on releasing animals to an area within their historical range from which they were recently extirpated, while benign introduction is a second subset of CT where animals are released to an area outside of their historical range but still in an area deemed suitable for the species’ persistence [16]
Conservation actions in the Red List are categorized based on the hierarchical lexicon developed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Conservation Measures Partnership [27], where Species Re-introduction is classified as an action under Species Management
Summary
Habitat loss is and will continue to be one of the main drivers of species population declines and extinctions for the foreseeable future [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. This percentage is unlikely to improve due to the exacerbating effects of climate change and recent reductions in the legal protections and extent of protected areas [10,11,12]. Conservation actions such as habitat management, protection and species reintroductions could help conserve and rebuild threatened species populations [13, 14]. There is still a need for more evidence-based and holistic information for better modeling, planning, and creating a priori objectives to increase success rates [15]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
