Extinction risks and the conservation of Madagascar's reptiles.

ABSTRACT:

Background

An understanding of the conservation status of Madagascar's endemic reptile species is needed to underpin conservation planning and priority setting in this global biodiversity hotspot, and to complement existing information on the island's mammals, birds and amphibians. We report here on the first systematic assessment of the extinction risk of endemic and native non-marine Malagasy snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises.

Methodology/principal findings

Species range maps from The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species were analysed to determine patterns in the distribution of threatened reptile species. These data, in addition to information on threats, were used to identify priority areas and actions for conservation. Thirty-nine percent of the data-sufficient Mala

SUBMITTER: Jenkins RK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4128600 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature