Predicting plant conservation priorities on a global scale
Pelletier, T.A.; Carstens, B.C.; Tank, D.C.; Sullivan, J.; Espíndola, A. (2018). Predicting plant conservation priorities on a global scale. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 115(51): 13027-13032. https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1804098115
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. The Academy: Washington, D.C.. ISSN 0027-8424; e-ISSN 1091-6490, more
|  |
| Keywords |
Plantae [WoRMS]
Terrestrial |
| Author keywords |
plantae; conservation; predictive modeling; random forest; IUCN |
| Authors | | Top |
- Pelletier, T.A.
- Carstens, B.C.
- Tank, D.C.
|
- Sullivan, J.
- Espíndola, A.
|
|
| Abstract |
The conservation status of most plant species is currently unknown, despite the fundamental role of plants in ecosystem health. To facilitate the costly process of conservation assessment, we developed a predictive protocol using a machine-learning approach to predict conservation status of over 150,000 land plant species. Our study uses open-source geographic, environmental, and morphological trait data, making this the largest assessment of conservation risk to date and the only global assessment for plants. Our results indicate that a large number of unassessed species are likely at risk and identify several geographic regions with the highest need of conservation efforts, many of which are not currently recognized as regions of global concern. By providing conservation-relevant predictions at multiple spatial and taxonomic scales, predictive frameworks such as the one developed here fill a pressing need for biodiversity science. |
|
