According to a new analysis by the Yale School of the Environment, all species studied have a portion of their range at risk.
The study was led by Nyeema C. Harris and was published in the National Academy of Sciences.
According to Harris's team, many species that are currently classified as "least concern" on the "Red List of Threatened Species" have high percentages of their range at risk of contraction. The Egyptian weasel has 70% of its range at risk of contraction, while the slender mongoose and serval both have 16%. According to Harris, the most important finding of the study, which analyzed additional data not previously assessed, is that all species have some portion of their range at risk of contraction due to burgeoning threats.
The range maps are flawed and there's a growing interest in relying on geospatial data. Traditional gap analyses don't take threats and assets into account. We are looking at different variables.
The team's model was able to determine the amount of contraction and variation in the range of the species. According to the study, the Ethiopian wolf and the African wild dog, both of which are on the Red list, have a high risk of contraction.
"We were able to get new insights about species that are largely unknown or under studied, and we discovered that they have very small ranges of more threats than assets." The model is giving us a broader understanding and a different approach to anticipating biodiversity losses, such as the Ethiopian Genet, a catlike mammal, and the Pousargues.
Africa has rich biocultural diversity and is home to a third of the world's carnivore species. Distribution of Indigenous lands and cultural diversity are two of the assets examined in the study.
There are some anthropic factors that help conserve the environment. Traditional ceremonies of the Nharira community in central Zimbabwe include protection of the environment.
The authors say that the blanket inclusion of human density is not accurate. Incorporating traditional ecological knowledge of people in places can lead to a more inclusive practice and promote species ranges under different global change scenarios.
She calls it textured range maps and says more work is needed to fill out the full extent of variables. Efforts like that can complement existing frameworks.
She hopes other researchers will apply the same approach to study different groups of animals around the world.
She says that it will allow for a very explicit agenda.
The study was co-authored by Aalayna R. Green, a PhD student in natural resources at Cornell University.
Harris says he's proud of the partners involved in the work who bring different expertise and experiences. The narrative of who gets to ask the questions is changing thanks to us.
More information: Socio-ecological gap analysis to forecast species range contractions for conservation,, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201942119 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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