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- Title
Conservation-Reliant Species: Toward a Biology-Based Definition.
- Authors
Rohlf, Daniel J.; Carroll, Carlos; Hartl, Brett
- Abstract
The concept of conservation-reliant species has become increasingly prominent, particularly with species listed or under consideration for listing under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA). We have concerns about the trend toward what we see as an overly broad definition of conservation reliance. In addition to being of limited practical utility, overuse of the conservation reliant label can mask important legal and policy issues associated with species recovery and delisting. We propose a biology-based definition of conservation-reliant species—specifically, one based on the degree to which a species needs direct and ongoing human manipulation of its life cycle or environment in order to persist in the wild. This definition could assist managers in developing recovery priorities and allocating scarce recovery funds. In addition, a biological definition of conservation reliance could assist society and policymakers in considering whether the ESA's focus on self-sufficiency in the wild remains relevant as a definition of conservation success.
- Subjects
ENDANGERED species listing; ENDANGERED species delisting; ENDANGERED Species Act of 1973 (U.S.); WILDLIFE management; WILDLIFE conservation
- Publication
BioScience, 2014, Vol 64, Issue 7, p601
- ISSN
0006-3568
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/biosci/biu078