Pre-assessments of plant conservation status in islands: the case of French Overseas Territories

International audience Assessment methods have been developed to estimate a preliminary conservation status for species and subsequently to facilitate the building of Red Lists. Such pre-assessment methods could be particularly useful in the French Overseas Territories (FOTs) where Red Lists tend to...

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Published in:Biodiversity and Conservation
Main Authors: Véron, Simon, Bernard, Arthur, Lebreton, Elise, Rodrigues-Vaz, Carlos, Durand, M, Procopio, Lilian, Hélion, Mike, Gayot, Marc, Viscardi, Guillaume, Krupnick, Gary, A, Carrington, C M Sean, Boullet, Vincent, Mallet, Bertrand, Dimassi, Abassi, Pailler, Thierry, Bruy, David, Hivert, Jean, Lebouvier, Marc, Agnola, Pierre, Gateblé, Gildas, Lannuzel, Guillaume, Meyer, Shankar, Pignal, Marc, Gargominy, Olivier, Gigot, Guillaume, Invernon, Vanessa, Leblond, Sébastien, Tercerie, Sandrine, Muller, Serge, Rouhan, Germinal
Other Authors: Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB ), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université des Antilles (UA), Diversité, adaptation, développement des plantes (UMR DIADE), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Sud )-Université de Montpellier (UM), Office national des forêts (ONF), Conservatoire Botanique de Martinique (CBMq), Smithsonian Institution, The University of the West Indies, Institut de Géoarchitecture, Université de Bretagne Sud (UBS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Institut Brestois des Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société (IBSHS), Université de Brest (UBO)-Université de Brest (UBO), Université de La Réunion (UR), Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations (UMR AMAP), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Sud )-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Herbier de Nouvelle-Calédonie (Herbier NOU), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD Nouvelle-Calédonie ), Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution Rennes (ECOBIO), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement - CNRS Ecologie et Environnement (INEE-CNRS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Agronomique Néo-Calédonien (IAC), New Caledonia Plant Red List Authority Endemia, Patrimoine naturel (PatriNat), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction surveillance, évaluation,données (OFB - DSUED), Office français de la biodiversité (OFB)-Office français de la biodiversité (OFB), Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB), Ministère des Outre-mer, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: HAL CCSD 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://mnhn.hal.science/mnhn-03952485
https://mnhn.hal.science/mnhn-03952485/document
https://mnhn.hal.science/mnhn-03952485/file/Paper%20pre-assessment%20_%20HAL.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-023-02544-8
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Summary:International audience Assessment methods have been developed to estimate a preliminary conservation status for species and subsequently to facilitate the building of Red Lists. Such pre-assessment methods could be particularly useful in the French Overseas Territories (FOTs) where Red Lists tend to be outdated or absent and where a high number of endemic species face detrimental anthropogenic pressures. We first aimed to conduct a preliminary assessment (hereafter, pre-assessment) of the conservation status of endemic plants from Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte, French sub-Antarctic islands, New Caledonia, and Scattered Islands. We then compared the various methods used in conducting the pre-assessment and discussed ways to adapt these methods to small territories. We compiled occurrence data of endemic species identified thanks to a previous taxonomic work and pre-assessed their conservation status under Red List criteria A and B and the use of a Random Forest algorithm. We then measured the accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of each method based on existing Red Lists. The Random Forest algorithm and a method based on range-size performed best at correctly attributing conservation status. Using these pre-assessment methods, we estimated that up to 60% of the endemic flora of the FOTs is potentially threatened. Range restriction but also anthropogenic pressures were key factors that explained these risks. Pre-assessment methods are useful tools to get a first measure of species conservation status. These methods should be adapted to the territories considered and their conservation issues in order to reach a good performance.