Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
conservation recommendations, and Range-wide Priority Setting, which is
designed for widely distributed species. Other approaches include the EDGE
approach, which combines IUCN Red List data on threats with species evolutionary
distinctiveness to focus on conserving threatened species with few remaining
relatives [
82
].
Conservation approaches at other levels, such as landscape/ecosystems, are also
widely used. Examples include Conservation Action Planning [
83
], which often
focuses on a target landscape, and the Ecosystem Approach, which puts natural
resource use at the center of decision making [
84
]. However, even at the ecosystem/
landscape level, conservationists still use species, often iconic and charismatic
species ones referred to as flagship species, to act as ambassadors for conservation
of the wider area. These species are also a good way to begin engaging with the
public, an important part of modern conservation. If people feel a connection to
the natural world, they will be more willing to conserve it [
85
].
Whatever the chosen approach, it must be based on sound science and have
a strong conceptual framework to guide action on the ground. Included in this
framework should be significant capacity-building component to enable long-term
continuation of responses capable of keeping pace with increasing threats, espe-
cially climate change. While there have been past conservation successes [
73
], the
conservation community needs to focus more on coordinating large-scale strategic
conservation plans around specific objectives. National Biodiversity Strategies and
Action Plans, required by Convention on Biological Diversity member countries,
have the potential to be very effective, if technical capacity and financial resources
are developed to support their creation and implementation [
90
].
Conclusions
While there is disagreement about the definition and number of species, it is known
for sure that species are the building blocks of ecosystems, and their diversity
within and among ecosystems is essential to maintaining its function. Species are
under threat from numerous anthropogenic factors including habitat loss, overex-
ploitation, introduced and invasive species, and climate change. Current extinction
rates are magnitudes higher than those of the past and no one knows for certain how
many species the planet can afford to lose before there will be major implications
for humanity. As technological solutions to lost or degraded ecosystem services are
often expensive, difficult, or even impossible, there is clearly a need to conserve and
sustainably manage our ecosystems and the species within them in order to main-
tain biodiversity and its practical benefits to humanity. However, the current level
of conservation action is far outweighed by degree of threat. To halt species loss,
there is an urgent need to scale up conservation action. While there have been
conservation successes in the past, a coordinated and increased national- and
global-level response is urgently need to halt the loss of global biodiversity.
