Conservation Biogeography: The Paradigm Shift Needed to Reform the Conservation Spatial Planning Sector

Abstract

Conservation biogeography is increasingly important in biodiversity conservation, but its potential has not been fully integrated into the conservation spatial planning sector. These planning mandates are often carried by government agencies bound by regional administrative and legislative frameworks, resulting in planning domains poorly aligned with biogeographic boundaries. Selection of endemic taxa as input data in systematic conservation planning (SCP) should be drawn from published centres of endemism rather than a homogenized selection drawn from expansive administrative boundaries misaligned with natural evolutionary boundaries. Furthermore, given the constrained budgets in conservation governance, it seems plausible to use SCP for the identification of areas critical to the persistence of range-restricted, congruent assemblages of plants and animals. This approach could optimize the selection and protection of tightly coupled plants and animals within a framework cognizant of the impacts of human-induced threats. Conservation biogeography is the paradigm shift needed to reform the conservation spatial planning sector.