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Title
Hotspots of human impact on threatened terrestrial vertebrates
Author(s)
Allan, James R.;Watson, James E. M.;Di Marco, Moreno;O’Bryan, Christopher J.;Possingham, Hugh P.;Atkinson, Scott C.;Venter, Oscar
Published
2019
Publisher
PLoS Biology
Published Version DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000158
Abstract
Conserving threatened species requires identifying where across their range they are being impacted by threats, yet this remains unresolved across most of Earth. Here, we present a global analysis of cumulative human impacts on threatened species by using a spatial framework that jointly considers the co-occurrence of eight threatening processes and the distribution of 5,457 terrestrial vertebrates. We show that impacts to species are widespread, occurring across 84% of Earth’s surface, and identify hotspots of impacted species richness and coolspots of unimpacted species richness. Almost one-quarter of assessed species are impacted across >90% of their distribution, and approximately 7% are impacted across their entire range. These results foreshadow localised extirpations and potential extinctions without conservation action. The spatial framework developed here offers a tool for defining strategies to directly mitigate the threats driving species’ declines, providing essential information for future national and global conservation agendas.
Keywords
mammals; species diversity; amphibians; vertebrates; birds; conservation science; biodiversity; roads
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PUB24473