Biodiversity hotspots are insufficient in capturing range‐restricted species

Citations Over TimeTop 14% of 2019 papers

Abstract

Abstract Identifying hotspots of species richness/rarity is the most commonly used approach worldwide for defining areas of high conservation importance. However, the use of the hotspot method limits one's ability to protect or exclude particular species as all species are treated equally. Particularly, range‐restricted species require high conservation attention because they are more vulnerable than common species. However, the efficiency of the hotspot method in capturing range‐restricted species is yet to be explored, although it is known that this method provides low species coverage. Here, using a comprehensive database of Chinese woody plants, we mapped the diversity pattern of 11,405 species at the spatial resolution of 50 × 50 km 2 and identified hotspot areas using 1, 2.5, 5, 10, 25, and 50% thresholds. We then evaluated the proportion of range‐restricted versus common species captured/missed by each hotspot threshold. We found that the commonly used hotspot thresholds (5 and 10%) failed to capture 41–45% of range‐restricted species, which indicates that using the hotspot method for conservation prioritization exposes range‐restricted species to high extinction risk. Relying entirely on the hotspot method to prioritize conservation areas, therefore, can be risky not only because it provides low species coverage but also because the missed species are mostly range‐restricted species. We advocate adopting more efficient methods, such as systematic conservation planning, rather than the hotspot method, to increase the coverage of range‐restricted species in designated priority areas and balance the needs of biodiversity conservation and economic development.

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