Beyond PVA: Why Recovery under the Endangered Species Act Is More than Population Viability

Wolf, Shaye; Hartl, Brett; Carroll, Carlos; Neel, Maile C.; Greenwald, D. Noah

doi:10.1093/biosci/biu218

Cited by 65 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…As a result, the reliability and predictive power of such quantitative model-based approaches has often been debated [62][63][64][65]. Similar to the discussion above regarding genetic and health screening, we emphasize the tremendous utility of PVAs, but also recognize that they are but one of a series of tools that are available to conservation practitioners, and that such complex models alone do not provide "an adequate or practical overarching framework to overcome current shortcomings in recovery planning" [66].…”

Section: Employ Ecological Modeling To Help Inform Practice Where Posmentioning

confidence: 87%

Improving Standards for At-Risk Butterfly Translocations

2018

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Abstract:The use of human mediated translocations has been an increasing component of many species recovery initiatives, including for numerous imperiled Lepidopteran species. Despite the identified need for this ex situ strategy, few such programs are conducted in a scientifically repeatable way, are executed with a structured decision-making process, are well documented throughout, or are documented only in gray literature. The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations are an important tool for conservation practitioners to help implement comprehensive translocation planning. These generalized guidelines are intended to be applicable to all taxa. Though there is a growing body of literature and supplementary guidelines for many vertebrate classes, other proposed standards fail to capture the specific biology of many invertebrate groups, like Lepidoptera. Here, we present a targeted list of detailed recommendations that are appropriate for Lepidopteran translocation programs to expand on the broad and tested guidelines developed by the IUCN. We assert that the increased standardization and repeatability among Lepidopteran translocations will improve the conservation outcomes.

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Section: Employ Ecological Modeling To Help Inform Practice Where Posmentioning

confidence: 87%

Improving Standards for At-Risk Butterfly Translocations

2018

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“…Four features were commonly recommended: genetically robust, self-sustaining, ecologically functional (or effective), and resilient (Conner 1988;Soulé et al 2003;Sanderson 2006;Redford et al 2011;Wolf et al 2015).…”

Section: Conceptual Definition and Generalized Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, a resilient population is one that can recover from disturbance, and is an important component of climate change adaptation strategies (Folke et al 2004;Lawler 2009). A resilient population should comprise multiple genetically robust and selfsustaining sub-populations, encompassing the concepts of redundancy and representation of the genetic diversity across the species' range (Redford et al 2011;Wolf et al 2015). A resilient population can recover from an environmental catastrophe in one part of the range, and allows for shifts in distribution, which minimizes the risk of extinction or extirpation across the range.…”

Section: Conceptual Definition and Generalized Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Having more than one genetically robust, self-sustaining, and ecologically functional population improves representation of the full array of genetic diversity across the species range, and builds in redundancy, which hedges against disturbances or disasters in one part of the range (Redford et al 2011;Wolf et al 2015). Thus, to achieve a goal of supporting a resilient, genetically robust, and self-sustaining population, our framework provides a starting point for defining science-based population objectives that would require more than one sub-population, each of which is at least viable (>10,000 individuals), preferably large (> 50,000), and stable or increasing (i.e., not steeply declining).…”

Section: March 2017mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To establish these population objectives, one recommended approach is to estimate the minimum viable population (MVP) size (Himes Boor 2014; Doak et al 2015), defined as the smallest population size at which the population has a high probability of persisting for a desired length of time (Morris and Doak 2002). Yet accurate estimates of MVP require extensive long-term demographic data that are often not available (Wolf et al 2015), and analysis of inadequate data can have misleading results (Chapman et al 2001;Patterson and Murray 2008). Few recovery plans for at-risk species have actually used population viability analyses to set recovery criteria Neel et al 2012), and there is growing recognition that successful species conservation requires population sizes well above the MVP (Soulé et al 2003;Sanderson 2006;Redford et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A General Framework for Setting Quantitative Population Objectives for Wildlife Conservation

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Successful establishment of endangered springsnails following habitat enhancement and translocations

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1. Spring-associated aquatic invertebrates tend to be narrow-range endemics.Globally, they are threatened with extinction as a result of habitat loss caused by declining aquifers and by climate change.2. Extinction risks to narrow-range endemics may be reduced by having multiple, separate populations, yet there have been few attempts to use conservation translocations to create new populations.3. Pyrgulopsis roswellensis (Roswell springsnail), Juturnia kosteri (Koster's springsnail) and Gammarus desperatus (Noel's amphipod) are range-restricted, springassociated endangered species. Each species has lost one or more populations owing to habitat loss, and their distributions are now largely restricted to Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. 4. In 2014, Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge enhanced a series of springs by rerouting a channelized section of river away from them. The goal was to create habitat suitable for establishing new populations of P. roswellensis and J. kosteri, and for expansion of G. desperatus. After assessing risks and benefits of translocations, approximately 6,177 P. roswellensis and 8,707 J. kosteri were introduced into the project area from 2015 to 2018. 5. Efficacy was evaluated by comparing the abundance of invertebrates in the translocation site through time, and by comparing springsnail abundance with three reference spring systems. From 2014 to 2021, invertebrates were monitored twice annually in the translocation area. In reference spring systems, P. roswellensis and J. kosteri were monitored twice annually in 2020 and 2021.6. Counts of springsnails in the translocation area were comparable to one or more reference areas, which suggests that translocations were successful. In addition, the proportion of P. roswellensis, the less common springsnail, to J. kosteri was similar to references areas. 7. G. desperatus did not increase, which may be because some measures of water quality have not stabilized. 8. Globally, climate change and aquifer declines necessitate immediate consideration be given to conservation translocations as a means of keeping spring-associated species from becoming extinct.

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Beyond PVA: Why Recovery under the Endangered Species Act Is More than Population Viability

Cited by 65 publications

References 34 publications

Improving Standards for At-Risk Butterfly Translocations

Improving Standards for At-Risk Butterfly Translocations

A General Framework for Setting Quantitative Population Objectives for Wildlife Conservation

Successful establishment of endangered springsnails following habitat enhancement and translocations

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