Wednesday 29 May 2019

Scientists propose rethinking 'endangered species' definition to save slow-breeding giants


MAY 17, 2019
Conservation decisions based on population counts may fail to protect large, slow-breeding animals from irrevocable decline, according to new research coinciding with Endangered Species Day.
"Critical thresholds in so-called vital rates—such as mortality and fertility rates among males and females of various ages—can signal an approaching population collapselong before numbers drop below a point of no return," says lead author Dr. Shermin de Silva, President & Founder of Asian elephant conservation charity Trunks & Leaves. "We propose that conservation efforts for Asian elephants and other slow-breeding megafauna be aimed at maintaining their 'demographic safe space': that is, the combination of key vital rates that supports a non-negative growth rate."
A mammoth insight
Published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, the study suggests that a combination of key vital rates governing population growth is a better indicator of a species' viability than short-term trends in population size and distribution.

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