Ecoregion conservation status

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Conservation status is a measure used in conservation biology to assess an ecoregion's degree of habitat alteration and habitat conservation. It is used to set priorities for conservation.

Conservation status and biological distinctiveness were the two measures used by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to develop the Global 200, a list of high-priority ecoregions for conservation, [1] and for the WWF's conservation assessments at continent (or biogeographic realm) scale. [2] [3]

Ecoregions are classified into one of three broad categories: "critical/endangered" (CE), "vulnerable" (V), or "relatively stable/relatively intact" (RS). [4] The WWF's conservation status index is determined by analyzing four factors: [5]

Additional factors considered for the Global 200 include degree of habitat degradation, degree of protection needed, degree of urgency for conservation needs, and types of conservation practiced or required.

See also

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An ecoregion or ecozone is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural communities and species. The biodiversity of flora, fauna and ecosystems that characterise an ecoregion tends to be distinct from that of other ecoregions. In theory, biodiversity or conservation ecoregions are relatively large areas of land or water where the probability of encountering different species and communities at any given point remains relatively constant, within an acceptable range of variation.

A bioregion is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a biogeographical realm, but larger than an ecoregion or an ecosystem, in the World Wide Fund for Nature classification scheme. There is also an attempt to use the term in a rank-less generalist sense, similar to the terms "biogeographic area" or "biogeographic unit".

Southern Africa mangroves Ecoregion of mangrove swamps in rivers and estuaries on the eastern coast of South Africa

The Southern Africa mangroves are mangrove ecoregion on the Mozambique's southernmost coast and the eastern coast of South Africa.

Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic

Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic, also known as the Northern Swahili coastal forests and woodlands, is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of coastal East Africa. The ecoregion includes a variety of habitats, including forest, savanna and swamps.

References

  1. ↑ Olson DM, Dinerstein E. 1998. "The Global 200: A representation approach to conserving the Earth’s most biologically valuable ecoregions." Conservation Biology 12: 502–515.
  2. ↑ Burgess, Neil, Jennifer D’Amico Hales, Emma Underwood (2004). Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment. Island Press, Washington DC.
  3. ↑ Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Island Press; Washington, DC.
  4. ↑ Olson DM, Dinerstein E. 1998. "The Global 200: A representation approach to conserving the Earth’s most biologically valuable ecoregions." Conservation Biology 12: 502–515.
  5. ↑ Burgess, Neil, Jennifer D’Amico Hales, Emma Underwood (2004). Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment. Island Press, Washington DC.
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