New conservation map maximizes species protection in biodiversity hotspot (4/13/2008)

Western Wooly Lemurs, such as the pair shown here, are found in the dry, deciduous forests of Western Madagascar. This species is included in a new conservation roadmap developed for Madagascar by an international team of researchers. - Credit: Edward E. Louis Jr.

An international team of researchers that includes University of Michigan biologist Ronald Nussbaum has developed a remarkable new road map for finding and protecting thousands of rare species that live only in Madagascar, considered one of the most significant biodiversity hot spots in the world.

The plan and the methods used to develop it are described in the April 11 issue of the journal Science.

The analysis included more than 2,300 species found only in the vast area of Madagascar-a 226,642-square-mile (587,000-square-kilometer) island nation in the Indian Ocean. Centralizing and analyzing the sheer quantity of available data to develop a map of conservation priorities provided an unprecedented challenge.

First, researchers collected highly detailed data to learn the exact locations of thousands of animal and plant species across the island. The team then used software specially developed for this project, in collaboration with a computer science researcher at AT&T, to estimate the complete range of each species.

A separate optimization program, customized for this project by researchers at Finland's Helsinki University, was used next to identify which regions are most vital for saving the greatest number of species. Species that have experienced a proportionally larger loss of habitat due to deforestation were given top priority in the resulting conservation plan because they are at greater risk of extinction.

"Never before have biologists and policy makers had the tools that allow analysis of such a broad range of species, at such fine scale, over this large a geographic area," said project co-leader Claire Kremen of the University of California, Berkeley. "Our analysis raises the bar on what's possible in conservation planning and helps decision makers determine the most important places to protect."

Some surprising areas emerged as conservation priorities, including coastal forests and central mountain ranges, which had large concentrations of endemic species. Such regions, the researchers noted, have historically been neglected in favor of large tracts of forest.

Mantella aurantiaca, a terrestrial frog species native to Madagascar. - Credit: Ronald A. Nussbaum

The team's work also demonstrates that relying on a single group of species for a conservation plan does not provide adequate protection for other species groups.

"Preserving biodiversity in the midst of tremendous pressures, such as habitat destruction and global warming, is one of humanity's greatest environmental challenges in the 21st century," Kremen said. "Conservation planning has historically focused on protecting one species or one group of species at a time, but in our race to beat species extinction, that one-taxon approach is not going to be quick enough."

According to some estimates, about half of the world's plant species and three-quarters of vertebrate species are concentrated in biodiversity hot spots that make up only 2.3 percent of Earth's land surface. Madagascar, a developing country off the southeast coast of Africa, is one of the most treasured of these regions of biodiversity.

An estimated 80 percent of the animals on Madagascar do not occur naturally anywhere else on Earth. Half of the world's chameleons and all species of lemurs are endemic to this island. They are joined by whole families of plants, insects, birds, mammals, reptiles and frogs that are found only in Madagascar.

Similarly rich sources of data exist in other parts of the world, the authors noted, and their method of analysis can easily be transferred to other high priority regions for conservation.

A diverse group of 22 researchers from museums, zoos, herbaria, universities, non-governmental organizations and industry contributed to the new analysis. The authors received help from an additional 62 non-authored collaborators who, in turn, were part of much larger research teams that collected the data used in this study.

The MacArthur Foundation supported this project with a joint grant to UC Berkeley and the Wildlife Conservation Society, a New York-based organization, whose staff in Madagascar work with government officials there to incorporate the results of this study into conservation policy. The Wildlife Conservation Society has already established several new protected areas within the country.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by the University of Michigan

Post Comments: