Conservation of Mediterranean Biodiversity: The Iberian lynx as an umbrella species and a flagship species

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1 PDF Conservation of Mediterranean Biodiversity: The Iberian lynx as an umbrella species and a flagship species The Mediterranean basin constitutes a hotspot of biodiversity and the conservation of Iberian lynx in particular may provide a significant contribution to conservation in this region, whether directly (the rehabilitation of habitat benefitting all the species that share space with the lynx) or indirectly, by concentrating attention on the region, thus allowing a gathering of funds and political will essential to the success of this mission of conservation. Filipa Alves 1 / 10

2 The Mediterranean region as a priority in terms of Biodiversity Conservation The Mediterranean basin constitutes an unusually rich area from a biological point of view. With 22,500 species of plants, 11,700 (52%) of which are endemic, that is, exclusive to this region, it is the third location on the planet with the greatest floristic diversity. In relation to terrestrial vertebrates the numbers are less imposing, although important: 226 species of mammals, 489 of birds, 230 of reptiles, 79 of amphibians and 216 of fresh-water fishes. Among these, 11,1% are endemic in the case of mammals, 5,1% of the birds, 33,5% of the reptiles, 34,2% of the amphibians and finally, 29,2% in the case of fresh-water fish*. Even though it constitutes a zone of extraordinary biodiversity at the moment, its future as such is not so sure. In effect, of the approximately 1912 species of animals evaluated by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the scope of the Red List, about 19% are threatened 5% Critically Endangered, 7% Endangered and 7% Vulnerable. Besides the world-famous Iberian lynx, this group of animals at risk includes emblematic species such as the monk seal and the imperial eagle, threatened by loss and degradation of habitat, with the aggravated effects of phenomena such as pollution, drought, invasive exotic species and excessive exploitation. 2 / 10

3 Figure 1 - Mosaic Landscape of the Natura 2000 site of Moura/Barrancos (Credit: Ana Júlia Pereira) The high biodiversity and proportion of endemic species, together with the serious risk they run of disappearing, have led to the classification of the Mediterranean basin as one of the 34 Biod iversity Hostpots on the planet by the organization Conservation International. This concept was created by Norman Myers in 1988 to identify areas that, due to their high specific concentration many species in a restricted area and their considerable degree of threat, should constitute priority areas in terms of conservation. The conservation of certain species as a strategy for the conservation of biodiversity 3 / 10

4 Given the difficulty inherent in the monitoring and conservation of biodiversity as a whole, several shortcuts have come around that involve the use of focal species that, due to their ecological, demographic and/or media characteristics, have become useful in accomplishing an objective of conservation that goes beyond the species itself. This has led to the creation of the concepts of indicator species that can be biodiversity indicator their presence is associated with an elevated diversity of other organisms; population indicators their population fluctuations reflect those of other species and ecosystem health indicators their presence and fluctuations reflect chemical and physical alterations in the environment. On the other hand, the concept of umbrella species has appeared, i.e., species whose extreme demand insofar as habitat implies that by guaranteeing their conservation, one is safeguarding that of many others. There are also flagship species that are normally charismatic animals which may be the pillar of a conservation campaign because they unite public interest and concern. The lynx as a flagship species and an umbrella species in the Conservation of Mediterranean Biodiversity The identification of these different types of species is not a simple, linear procedure; sometimes the use of different designations is abusive, thus undermining the real utility of these concepts in conservation biology. Besides the erroneous application of a designation to a particular species, it is also common for different concepts to be used as if they were equivalent terms, when in fact they reflect distinct, independent profiles. With the objective of eliminating any sort of ambiguity in relation to the different concepts and the identification of representative species, Caro and O Doherty (1999) identified characteristics that these types of species should 4 / 10

5 have. Although the Iberian lynx does not comply with all the requisites identified by Caro and O Doherty, its profile greatly coincides with that of an umbrella species. In effect, as should be the case with all beings that may be considered umbrellas which means that by conserving them we would be conserving a habitat or an entire community the Iberian lynx is an individual species of reasonable dimensions, with a long generation period. As well as being well described, this feline has extremes of environmental necessities that are also very well known; it needs ample areas for survival and is considered a habitat specialist, although it does not comply with the criteria of easy observation or sampling, migratory nature, high population density or an ample area of occurrence. However, the restricted area of distribution and accentuated population decline that gave origin to its classification as a threatened species are two of the characteristics most used in the identification of a flagship species ; as such, the Iberian lynx is a legitimate candidate for this role. On the other hand, as is generally the case with these species, the physical details that make the Iberian lynx an attractive animal are keys to raising public empathy for what is, by definition, one of the characteristics of a good flag species. The public interest and preoccupation that these species awaken are essential for mobilising financial resources and raising commitment at a political level, all essential for the success of Nature Conservation. 5 / 10

6 Figure 2 - "Save the Malcata Lynx" campaign poster, a Liga pela Protecção da Natureza initiative in the 70s Conservation of the Iberian lynx may thus prove to be an extra benefit for the conservation of Mediterranean biodiversity in general. It contributes directly (the activities at the level of habitat recuperation benefit all the species that, such as the lynx, are found there) and indirectly (by focussing attention on the region and promoting fund-raising for the conservationist cause), in a region that has already been classified as an area of priority intervention for the conservation of biodiversity in general. The usefulness of the lynx as a focal species in relation to the Conservation of Mediterranean Biodiversity has been recognised by different authors. In effect, Travaini et al (1997), as well as Delibes et al (2000) and Jiménez Lopéz (2000) made reference to the lynx as an umbrella species and Ferrer & Negro (2004), Ferreira and Delibes-Mateos (2010) as n flagship species as well. 6 / 10

7 Alternative Approaches to Conservation Biology Although frequently adopted as an approach by professionals of Conservation Biology, there are various aspects that can be criticised in the strategy that involves development of conservation projects totally directed toward a particular species. In the first place, one must consider the possibility of a conservation project s failure, with the objective of protecting a given species but without success in the mission of avoiding its extinction. What happens then? All the activities directed to that species cease, even when they would benefit many others? As well, what does one do when the conservation of one flag species enters into conflict with that of another species considered as such? As a solution for these and other problems, and as an alternative, Ecosystem Management is a suggestion. Contrary to the conservation directed toward a certain species, this approach focuses the ecological processes that reflect, according to some, the health of the ecosystem itself. At the same time, from the point of view of species conservation this approach does not make sense because it is possible to preserve the processes even if some of the species that normally sustain them disappear. On the other hand, the concept of ecosystem health itself is somewhat diffuse a forest may be considered healthy if one does not consider the group of ecosystem services it provides or, alternatively, if it constitutes a totally functional community of plants, animals and their environment. 7 / 10

8 Figure 3 - Holm Oak Woodlands ou "Montado de azinho" (Credit: Ana Júlia Pereira) As an alternative to these two different approaches, a third strategy has appeared; some defend the view that it unites the better of two worlds. This approach involves the identification of species that serve as keystone (or key species) in the ecosystems, i.e., that have more impact on many others than one would expect, considering their biomass and abundance. An example is that of top predators in the food chain that control populations of prey species which, in their absence, would become dominant over others that make use of the same ecological niche. The identification of "keystone" species involves a study of the ecosystems and the way they work, clarifying their ecological processes and, simultaneously, requires our focus on the species determining just how one of them can influence the others, which means going beyond the ecological processes. In this perspective there are authors who already consider the Iberian lynx a key-stone species Palomares (2001) and Pires&Fernandes (2003), similar to what happens with wild rabbits Delibes-Mateos and colleagues (2007). Although this seems to be an ideal approach, it too has its problems; one of the main ones is that in a given ecosystem there may not be a key-stone species. Another possible situation is that a species may be a key in one ecosystem but not in another. *Dados da Conservation International disponíveis em 8 / 10

9 Bibliography Biodiversity Hotspots. < > Acedido em Caro RM & O Doherty G On the Use of Surrogate Species in Conservation Biology. Conservation Biology, 13 (4): Delibes M, Rodriguez A & Ferreras P Action Plan for the conservation of the Iberian lynx ( Lynx pardinus) in Europe. Nature and Environment, 111. Delibes-Mateos M, Redpath SM, Angulo E, Ferreras P & Villafuerte R Rabbits as a keystone species in southern Europe. Biological Conservation, 137(1): Ferreira C & Delibes Mateos M Wild rabbit management in the Iberian Peninsula: State of the art and perspectives for Iberian lynx conservation. Wildlife Biology in Practice, 2(6) Ferrer M & Negro JJ The near extinction of two large predators: super specialists pay a price. Conservation Biology, 18(2): Jiménez López MA Habitat modeling in support of corridor design for the Iberian lynx. Master Thesis. Utrecht University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology 9 / 10

10 Palomares F Vegetation structure and prey abundance requirements of the Iberian lynx: implications for the design of reserves and corridors. Journal of Applied Ecology, 38(1): 9-18 Pires AE & Fernandes ML. Last lynxes in Portugal: Molecular approaches in a pre-extinction scenario. Conservation Genetics, 4(4): Simberloff D Flagships, umbrellas, and keystones: Is single-species management passe in the landscape era?. Biological Conservation, 83(3): The Mediterranean: a Biodiversity Hotspot under threat < cmsdata.iucn.org > Acedido em Travaini A, Delibes M, Ferreras P & Palomares F Diversity, abundance or rare species as a target for the conservation of mammalian carnivores: a case study in Southern Spain. Biodiversity Conservation, 6(4): / 10