Lines on a map: conservation units, meta‐population dynamics, and recovery of woodland caribou in Canada
Abstract Delineating conservation units is a fundamental step in recovery planning for endangered species. Yet, challenges remain in the application and validation of scientifically evaluated conservation units in management practice. The Canadian government makes use of Designatable Units ( DU s) a...
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crwiley:10.1002/ecs2.2323 2024-09-15T18:31:47+00:00 Lines on a map: conservation units, meta‐population dynamics, and recovery of woodland caribou in Canada Weckworth, Byron V. Hebblewhite, Mark Mariani, Stefano Musiani, Marco Alberta Environment and Parks ConocoPhillips Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Alberta Innovates Alberta Conservation Association National Aeronautics and Space Administration 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2323 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fecs2.2323 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ecs2.2323 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/ecs2.2323 https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ecs2.2323 en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Ecosphere volume 9, issue 7 ISSN 2150-8925 2150-8925 journal-article 2018 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2323 2024-08-09T04:24:12Z Abstract Delineating conservation units is a fundamental step in recovery planning for endangered species. Yet, challenges remain in the application and validation of scientifically evaluated conservation units in management practice. The Canadian government makes use of Designatable Units ( DU s) as the primary conservation unit under their Species‐at‐Risk Act. DU s must be ecologically discrete and have demonstrated evolutionary significance, which, in the case of woodland caribou ( Rangifer tarandus caribou ), has led to the definition of multiple DU s across Canada. Simultaneously, Environment and Climate Change Canada has released two recovery strategies affecting four DU s, wherein DU s are subdivided into smaller conservation units. However, the two recovery strategies adopt different definitions for the conservation unit. For the Boreal DU , the Local Population is considered the conservation unit for recovery management, whereas for Southern Mountain DU , the conservation unit for recovery is the subpopulation, which may or may not be comprised of several Local Populations. The scientific rationale for the difference between recovery strategies is unclear, not necessarily supported by genetic or demographic evidence, and highlights a policy challenge facing caribou conservation. We argue that the current emphasis on protecting subpopulations within a DU might be inconsistent and unviable for recovery planning. Instead, the recognition and emphasis on maintaining meta‐population dynamics within DU s is essential and currently underutilized in the long‐term recovery of woodland caribou in Canada. Article in Journal/Newspaper Rangifer tarandus Wiley Online Library Ecosphere 9 7 |
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English |
description |
Abstract Delineating conservation units is a fundamental step in recovery planning for endangered species. Yet, challenges remain in the application and validation of scientifically evaluated conservation units in management practice. The Canadian government makes use of Designatable Units ( DU s) as the primary conservation unit under their Species‐at‐Risk Act. DU s must be ecologically discrete and have demonstrated evolutionary significance, which, in the case of woodland caribou ( Rangifer tarandus caribou ), has led to the definition of multiple DU s across Canada. Simultaneously, Environment and Climate Change Canada has released two recovery strategies affecting four DU s, wherein DU s are subdivided into smaller conservation units. However, the two recovery strategies adopt different definitions for the conservation unit. For the Boreal DU , the Local Population is considered the conservation unit for recovery management, whereas for Southern Mountain DU , the conservation unit for recovery is the subpopulation, which may or may not be comprised of several Local Populations. The scientific rationale for the difference between recovery strategies is unclear, not necessarily supported by genetic or demographic evidence, and highlights a policy challenge facing caribou conservation. We argue that the current emphasis on protecting subpopulations within a DU might be inconsistent and unviable for recovery planning. Instead, the recognition and emphasis on maintaining meta‐population dynamics within DU s is essential and currently underutilized in the long‐term recovery of woodland caribou in Canada. |
author2 |
Alberta Environment and Parks ConocoPhillips Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Alberta Innovates Alberta Conservation Association National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Weckworth, Byron V. Hebblewhite, Mark Mariani, Stefano Musiani, Marco |
spellingShingle |
Weckworth, Byron V. Hebblewhite, Mark Mariani, Stefano Musiani, Marco Lines on a map: conservation units, meta‐population dynamics, and recovery of woodland caribou in Canada |
author_facet |
Weckworth, Byron V. Hebblewhite, Mark Mariani, Stefano Musiani, Marco |
author_sort |
Weckworth, Byron V. |
title |
Lines on a map: conservation units, meta‐population dynamics, and recovery of woodland caribou in Canada |
title_short |
Lines on a map: conservation units, meta‐population dynamics, and recovery of woodland caribou in Canada |
title_full |
Lines on a map: conservation units, meta‐population dynamics, and recovery of woodland caribou in Canada |
title_fullStr |
Lines on a map: conservation units, meta‐population dynamics, and recovery of woodland caribou in Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Lines on a map: conservation units, meta‐population dynamics, and recovery of woodland caribou in Canada |
title_sort |
lines on a map: conservation units, meta‐population dynamics, and recovery of woodland caribou in canada |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2323 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fecs2.2323 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ecs2.2323 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/ecs2.2323 https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ecs2.2323 |
genre |
Rangifer tarandus |
genre_facet |
Rangifer tarandus |
op_source |
Ecosphere volume 9, issue 7 ISSN 2150-8925 2150-8925 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2323 |
container_title |
Ecosphere |
container_volume |
9 |
container_issue |
7 |
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1810473529827655680 |