Diversity And Depletions In Continental Carnivore Guilds: Implications For Prioritizing Global Carnivore Conservation

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Veterinary
Article Date: 08 Oct 2008 - 3:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

Large carnivores are important components in functional ecosystems. However, they are also prone to extinction resulting in much conservation effort.

We examined recent large carnivore extinctions and their impact on continental assemblages of carnivores, thereby generating suggestions for global prioritizations of carnivore conservation.

Europe, North and South America have depleted carnivore assemblages while Africa and Asia have suffered fewer species extinctions. However, Asia has a high risk of further extinctions.

We suggest that carnivore conservation should focus on recovering the threatened Asian species, preventing European and American species from becoming threatened, and reconstructing functionally intact sympatric assemblages of large carnivores.

Royal Society journal Biology Letters

Biology Letters publishes short, innovative and cutting-edge research articles and opinion pieces accessible to scientists from across the biological sciences. The journal is characterised by stringent peer-review, rapid publication and broad dissemination of succinct high-quality research communications.

Biology Letters