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Conservation in the Neotropics: A Final Reflection

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Neotropical Diversification: Patterns and Processes

Part of the book series: Fascinating Life Sciences ((FLS))

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Abstract

Thanks to dedicated contributors, this book brings a diverse collection of ecosystem- and organismal-focused essays that inform conservation in diverse ways. How can we leverage this large, heterogeneous collective knowledge of the processes that underscore Neotropical diversification, and guide biodiversity management and preservation, in the tropical Americas? In this epilogue, I review how the data discussed in the book do so by (1) reporting on the status of Neotropical biological diversity today, (2) identifying geographical patterns of biodiversity distribution that guide conservation prioritization and management, (3) diagnosing ecological and evolutionary correlates of diversity, for use in system-wide monitoring, (4) shedding light on the historical and contemporary processes that define species ranges and hence ecosystem and evolutionary services, (5) clarifying the biological mechanisms that promote biodiversity generation, maintenance, and erosion, and (6) providing insight about the system’s behavior in response to environmental shifts over time. While the book demonstrates the power of combining and integrating data across multiple scientific fields to understand the processes and outcomes of diversification in the Neotropics, it also documents our collective concern about how to preserve these very same biodiversity patterns and processes. A trans-disciplinary effort is now needed to integrate these scientific data with the social and economical structure of the biodiverse areas we study and love. Ahead of us lies the challenging task of building a path to sustainability that takes into account the biological diversity, the history, the ecology, and the human component of the Neotropics.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, City College of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Ana Carolina Carnaval

  2. Biology Program, Graduate Center of CUNY, New York, NY, USA

    Ana Carolina Carnaval

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  1. Ana Carolina Carnaval
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Paleoecology, Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain

    Valentí Rull

  2. Department of Biology, City College of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Ana Carolina Carnaval

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Carnaval, A.C. (2020). Conservation in the Neotropics: A Final Reflection. In: Rull, V., Carnaval, A. (eds) Neotropical Diversification: Patterns and Processes. Fascinating Life Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31167-4_30

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