Performance and consistency of indicator groups in two biodiversity hotspots.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In a world limited by data availability and limited funds for conservation, scientists and practitioners must use indicator groups to define spatial conservation priorities. Several studies have evaluated the effectiveness of indicator groups, but still little is known about the consistency in performance of these groups in different regions, which would allow their a priori selection.

Methodology/principal findings

We systematically examined the effectiveness and the consistency of nine indicator groups in representing mammal species in two top-ranked Biodiversity Hotspots (BH): the Brazilian Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest. To test for group effectiveness we first found the best sets of sites able to maximize the representation of each indicator group in the BH

SUBMITTER: Trindade-Filho J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3102650 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature