Last Chance to See: The Role of Phylogeography in the Preservation of Tropical Biodiversity

Abstract

Habitat loss and anthropogenic climate change are primary threats to global biological diversity and ecosystem stability. International efforts to halt the effects of climate change and to slow the loss of biodiversity are now focused on the tropical biome. Specifically, and in recognition of the substantial contribution to climate warming made by deforestation in developing countries, the UN-REDD+ programme has been established to provide incentives for stopping tropical deforestation. This programme also places emphasis on rewarding measures for the conservation of biodiversity. However, the effective integration of carbon storage and biodiversity conservation goals in countries participating in the REDD+ programme will require greater research effort. In particular, in order to maximize our chances of preserving biological diversity, it will be essential to consider diversity at a population level, as well as at a species and ecosystem level. Phylogeographic studies should be an integral part of this population-level research effort as they can be used to document regional biological diversity, provide baseline genetic data to monitor changes in genetic diversity, allow the identification of evolutionary refugia, and provide evolutionary context for current patterns of diversity. The REDD+ initiative has the potential to provide an internationally well-supported framework for reducing forest habitat loss and protecting tropical diversity, and may, therefore, provide the impetus needed for increased biodiversity research effort. In conjunction with the recent development of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), phylogeographic research may now be considered more explicitly in the development of national environmental policies and in planning for biodiversity conservation.