Premium
The informative nature of unexpected results: reply to Tellería and Yapu‐Alcázar
Author(s) -
Peñaranda Diego A.,
Simonetti Javier A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1111/cobi.12752
Subject(s) - humanities , citation , library science , geography , computer science , philosophy
Predictive modeling in conservation science is a powerful tool to inform decision making, especially when data are scarce. Predictions offer an opportunity to develop proactive strategies that may alleviate pressures on species (Cardillo & Meijard 2012). On such grounds, we advanced the most likely population trends of poorly known species of Bolivian mammals as an input to setting conservation priorities (Peñaranda & Simonetti 2015). Tellería and Yapu-Alcázar (2016) qualify some outcomes of our trait-based models as "drawbacks" (Tellería & Yapu-Alcázar) and suggest they may lead to suboptimal resource allocation when setting conservation priorities. We welcome criticisms but believe those of Tellería and Yapu-Alcázar arise from a misunderstanding of the modeling approach we used and our results and conclusions. Further, they appear uncomfortable with our unexpected results because our results "do not agree with theoretical expectations" or with "what is apparent for the species" we studied. Here, we address Tellería and Yapu-Alcázar's misinterpretations and call for thought on the application of conventional wisdom in ecology and species conservation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.