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Species distributions, surrogacy, and important conservation regions in Canada
Author(s) -
Warman Leanna D.,
Forsyth David M.,
Sinclair A. R. E.,
Freemark Kathryn,
Moore Harold D.,
Barrett Thomas W.,
Pressey R. L.,
White Denis
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00590.x
Subject(s) - taxon , threatened species , endangered species , ecology , distribution (mathematics) , conservation status , geography , biology , habitat , mathematical analysis , mathematics
Abstract Conservation actions could be more efficient if there is congruence among taxa in the distribution of species. Patterns in the geographical distribution of five taxa were used to identify nationally important regions for conservation in Canada. Two measures of surrogacy were significantly and positively correlated among taxa, and conservation areas selected for one taxon represented other taxa significantly better than random selections. However, few large protected areas exist in the sites of highest conservation value in southern Canada; these regions are therefore a priority for future conservation regard. By focusing this effort on threatened and endangered species, which are a national priority in Canada, most other species could also benefit.