Quantitative Methods for Conservation Biology

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

   PDF

2. Detecting Extinction in Sighting Data

   • Andrew Solow, Thomas Helser

   Pages 1-6

3. Inferring Threat from Scientific Collections: Power Tests and an Application to Western Australian Acacia Species

   • Mark Burgman, Bruce R. Maslin, David Andrewartha, Marie R. Keatley, Chris Boek, Michael McCarthy

   Pages 7-26

4. Identifying the Ecological Correlates of Extinction-Prone Species: A Case Study of New Zealand Birds

   • Brendan Moyle

   Pages 27-38

5. Quantitative Methods for Modeling Species Habitat: Comparative Performance and an Application to Australian Plants

   • Jane Elith

   Pages 39-58

6. Risk Assessment of a Proposed Introduction of Pacific Salmon in the Delaware River Basin

   • Paul T. Jacobson

   Pages 59-76

7. Likelihood of Introducing Nonindigenous Organisms with Agricultural Commodities: Probabilistic Estimation

   • Michael J. Firko, Edward V. Podleckis

   Pages 77-95

8. “Best” Abundance Estimates and Best Management: Why They Are Not the Same

   • Barbara L. Taylor, Paul R. Wade

   Pages 96-108

9. Whaling Models for Cetacean Conservation

   • Mark S. Boyce

   Pages 121-126

10. Assessing Land-Use Impacts on Bull Trout Using Bayesian Belief Networks

    • Danny C. Lee

    Pages 127-147

11. Using Matrix Models to Focus Research and Management Efforts in Conservation

    • Selina S. Heppell, Deborah T. Crouse, Larry B. Crowder

    Pages 148-168

12. Variability and Measurement Error in Extinction Risk Analysis: The Northern Spotted Owl on the Olympic Peninsula

    • Lloyd Goldwasser, Scott Ferson, Lev Ginzburg

    Pages 169-187

13. Can Individual-Based Models Yield a Better Assessment of Population Variability?

    • Yiannis G. Matsinos, Wilfried F. Wolff, Donald L. DeAngelis

    Pages 188-198

14. Potential of Branching Processes as a Modeling Tool for Conservation Biology

    • Frédéric Gosselin, Jean-Dominique Lebreton

    Pages 199-225

15. Role of Genetics in Conservation Biology

    • Sabine S. Loew

    Pages 226-258

16. Modeling Problems in Conservation Genetics Using Laboratory Animals Richard Frankham

    • Richard Frankham

    Pages 259-273

17. Theoretical Properties of Extinction by Inbreeding Depression Under Stochastic Environments

    • Yoshinari Tanaka

    Pages 274-290

18. Mathematical Methods for Identifying Representative Reserve Networks

    • Hugh Possingham, Ian Ball, Sandy Andelman

    Pages 291-306

19. Back Matter

    Pages 307-322

    PDF

Quantitative methods are needed in conservation biology more than ever as an increasing number of threatened species find their way onto international and national “red lists. ” Objective evaluation of population decline and extinction probability are required for sound decision making. Yet, as our colleague Selina Heppell points out, population viability analysis and other forms of formal risk assessment are underused in policy formation because of data uncertainty and a lack of standardized methodologies and unambiguous criteria (i. e. , “rules of thumb”). Models used in conservation biology range from those that are purely heuristic to some that are highly predictive. Model selection should be dependent on the questions being asked and the data that are available. We need to develop a toolbox of quantitative methods that can help scientists and managers with a wide range of systems and that are subject to varying levels of data uncertainty and environmental variability. The methods outlined in the following chapters represent many of the tools needed to fill that toolbox. When used in conjunction with adaptive management, they should provide information for improved monitoring, risk assessment, and evaluation of management alternatives. The first two chapters describe the application of methods for detecting trends and extinctions from sighting data. Presence/absence data are used in general linear and additive models in Chapters 3 and 4 to predict the extinction proneness of birds and to build habitat models for plants.

• biodiversity
• biology
• conservation biology
• ecology
• environment
• natural resources
• population dynamics
• population genetics
• preservation
• risk assessment

From the reviews:

"Population decline and extinction of many species is a worldwide phenomenon. Because quantitative methods are either lacking or not applied population declines are often poorly understood … . The present book aims to contribute to close this gap by introducing several different quantitative methods that are useful to conservationists. … The book has been written for graduate students and working conservation biologists. … The authors succeeded … in presenting the different methods in an understandable and simple way. … I would recommend the book." (Michael Schaub, Basic and Applied Ecology, Issue 5, 2004)

• Applied Biomathematics, Setauket, USA

  Scott Ferson

• School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Australia

  Mark Burgman

Policies and ethics