CONSERVATION OF NEOTROPICAL HERPETOFAUNA: RESEARCH TRENDS AND CHALLENGES

J. Nicolás Urbina-Cardona

doi:10.1177/194008290800100405

CONSERVATION OF NEOTROPICAL HERPETOFAUNA: RESEARCH TRENDS AND CHALLENGES

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Resumen

Los trópicos soportan entre el 30 y 50% de las especies del mundo. Sin embargo, poco se conoce sobre la ecología e historia natural de la mayor parte de estos organismos, por lo que es difícil planear estrategias para su conservación. A partir de una revisión de los trabajos publicados sobre la conservación de la herpetofauna mundial se determinó que el área de la conservación biológica presenta un bajo nivel de impacto en las publicaciones científicas en comparación con la biología evolutiva y la ecología. Así mismo, la herpetología como ciencia, tiene uno de los impactos más bajos entre las publicaciones científicas. El número de publicaciones sobre la conservación de los anfibios y reptiles ha tendido a aumentar en los últimos años. Sin embargo, sólo el 31% de los artículos de conservación de la herpetofauna han sido publicados en revistas de alto impacto. Aun existen muchos desafíos para asegurar la conservación de la herpetofauna neotropical, como: una nomenclatura taxonómica uniforme y estable para evitar sobreestimar la riqueza de especies en la conservación y para tener una legislación adecuada. También es imperante implementar una red de áreas para la conservación que incluya a los anfibios y reptiles, y que a su vez tenga en cuenta factores socio-políticos y económicos. Se debe reevaluar sistema de áreas protegidas neotropicales con base en escenarios de cambio climático y determinar la eficiencia de éstas para proteger a las comunidades y poblaciones identificando posibles estrategias y prioridades de conservación a futuro. Es necesario realizar más estudios poblacionales y de comunidades a diferentes escalas espaciales y temporales para entender la respuesta de la herpetofauna a la perturbación antropogénica, pérdida y fragmentación de hábitat, efectos de borde y de matriz y su sinergia con gradientes microclimáticos, enfermedades emergentes y pérdida de la diversidad genética. Uno de los mayores desafíos para la conservación de la herpetofauna es controlar la pérdida de hábitat e incrementar la conectividad a lo largo de gradientes altitudinales, a la vez que se controlan las especies invasoras que alteran las interacciones de las especies nativas y dispersan, con la ayuda del cambio climático, enfermedades emergentes.

Idioma original	Inglés
Páginas (desde-hasta)	359-375
Publicación	Tropical Conservation Science
Volumen	1
N.º	4
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1177/194008290800100405
Estado	Publicada - 2008

Palabras clave

Biología de la conservación
herpetología
Latinoamérica
amenazas
extinción
fragmentación del hábitat
políticas

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title = "CONSERVATION OF NEOTROPICAL HERPETOFAUNA: RESEARCH TRENDS AND CHALLENGES",

abstract = "The Neotropics harbor between 30−50% of the world's herpetofauna. However, little is known about the ecology and natural history of many species, making conservation strategies difficult to plan. After reviewing published papers on world herpetofauna conservation, it was shown that conservation biology has a low impact factor in scientific journals in comparison with other related disciplines such as evolutionary biology and ecology. Moreover, herpetology has one of the lowest impact factors within the biological sciences journals. The number of publications on amphibian and reptile conservation has increased in recent years; however, only 31% of the papers on herpetofaunal conservation have been published in high impact journals. There are many challenges to overcome in the conservation of the Neotropical herpetofauna. Uniform and stable taxonomic nomenclature is critical to avoid overestimation of species richness and diversity for conservation assessments, and in the context of legal proceedings. Herpetofaunal research needs to be conducted within the appropriate socio-political and economic framework, in order to effectively implement conservation area networks. It is important to reevaluate the role of protected area systems in ensuring the persistence of communities and populations, and to identify strategies and future conservation priorities, based on climate-change scenarios. Population and community studies at different spatial and temporal scales are necessary to understand herpetofauna responses to anthropogenic disturbances, habitat loss and fragmentation, edge and matrix effects, and their synergy with micro-climatic gradients, emergent diseases and shifting patterns of genetic diversity. One of the biggest challenges for herpetofaunal conservation science in the neotropics is to control habitat loss and increase landscape connectivity along altitudinal gradients, while at the same time control species invasion that alter native species' interactions and spread emergent diseases (e.g. Chytridiomycosis) facilitated by climate change.",

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author = "Urbina-Cardona, {J. Nicol{\'a}s}",

year = "2008",

doi = "10.1177/194008290800100405",

language = "English",

volume = "1",

pages = "359--375",

journal = "Tropical Conservation Science",

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T2 - RESEARCH TRENDS AND CHALLENGES

AU - Urbina-Cardona, J. Nicolás

PY - 2008

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N2 - The Neotropics harbor between 30−50% of the world's herpetofauna. However, little is known about the ecology and natural history of many species, making conservation strategies difficult to plan. After reviewing published papers on world herpetofauna conservation, it was shown that conservation biology has a low impact factor in scientific journals in comparison with other related disciplines such as evolutionary biology and ecology. Moreover, herpetology has one of the lowest impact factors within the biological sciences journals. The number of publications on amphibian and reptile conservation has increased in recent years; however, only 31% of the papers on herpetofaunal conservation have been published in high impact journals. There are many challenges to overcome in the conservation of the Neotropical herpetofauna. Uniform and stable taxonomic nomenclature is critical to avoid overestimation of species richness and diversity for conservation assessments, and in the context of legal proceedings. Herpetofaunal research needs to be conducted within the appropriate socio-political and economic framework, in order to effectively implement conservation area networks. It is important to reevaluate the role of protected area systems in ensuring the persistence of communities and populations, and to identify strategies and future conservation priorities, based on climate-change scenarios. Population and community studies at different spatial and temporal scales are necessary to understand herpetofauna responses to anthropogenic disturbances, habitat loss and fragmentation, edge and matrix effects, and their synergy with micro-climatic gradients, emergent diseases and shifting patterns of genetic diversity. One of the biggest challenges for herpetofaunal conservation science in the neotropics is to control habitat loss and increase landscape connectivity along altitudinal gradients, while at the same time control species invasion that alter native species' interactions and spread emergent diseases (e.g. Chytridiomycosis) facilitated by climate change.

AB - The Neotropics harbor between 30−50% of the world's herpetofauna. However, little is known about the ecology and natural history of many species, making conservation strategies difficult to plan. After reviewing published papers on world herpetofauna conservation, it was shown that conservation biology has a low impact factor in scientific journals in comparison with other related disciplines such as evolutionary biology and ecology. Moreover, herpetology has one of the lowest impact factors within the biological sciences journals. The number of publications on amphibian and reptile conservation has increased in recent years; however, only 31% of the papers on herpetofaunal conservation have been published in high impact journals. There are many challenges to overcome in the conservation of the Neotropical herpetofauna. Uniform and stable taxonomic nomenclature is critical to avoid overestimation of species richness and diversity for conservation assessments, and in the context of legal proceedings. Herpetofaunal research needs to be conducted within the appropriate socio-political and economic framework, in order to effectively implement conservation area networks. It is important to reevaluate the role of protected area systems in ensuring the persistence of communities and populations, and to identify strategies and future conservation priorities, based on climate-change scenarios. Population and community studies at different spatial and temporal scales are necessary to understand herpetofauna responses to anthropogenic disturbances, habitat loss and fragmentation, edge and matrix effects, and their synergy with micro-climatic gradients, emergent diseases and shifting patterns of genetic diversity. One of the biggest challenges for herpetofaunal conservation science in the neotropics is to control habitat loss and increase landscape connectivity along altitudinal gradients, while at the same time control species invasion that alter native species' interactions and spread emergent diseases (e.g. Chytridiomycosis) facilitated by climate change.

KW - Conservation biology

KW - herpetology

KW - Latin America

KW - threats

KW - extinction

KW - habitat fragmentation

KW - policy

KW - Biología de la conservación

KW - herpetología

KW - Latinoamérica

KW - amenazas

KW - extinción

KW - fragmentación del hábitat

KW - políticas

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DO - 10.1177/194008290800100405

M3 - Article

SN - 1940-0829

VL - 1

SP - 359

EP - 375

JO - Tropical Conservation Science

JF - Tropical Conservation Science

IS - 4

ER -

CONSERVATION OF NEOTROPICAL HERPETOFAUNA: RESEARCH TRENDS AND CHALLENGES

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