Extinction debt: a challenge for biodiversity conservation.
Local extinction of species can occur with a substantial delay following habitat loss or degradation. Accumulating evidence suggests that such extinction debts pose a significant but often unrecognized challenge for biodiversity conservation across a wide range of taxa and ecosystems. Species with long generation times and populations near their extinction threshold are most likely to have an extinction debt. However, as long as a species that is predicted to become extinct still persists, there is time for conservation measures such as habitat restoration and landscape management. Standardized long-term monitoring, more high-quality empirical studies on different taxa and ecosystems and further development of analytical methods will help to better quantify extinction debt and protect biodiversity.
Kuussaari
Mikko
M
Finnish Environment Institute, Research Programme for Biodiversity, P.O. Box 140, FI-00251 Helsinki, Finland. mikko.kuussaari@ymparisto.fi
Bommarco
Riccardo
R
Heikkinen
Risto K
RK
Helm
Aveliina
A
Krauss
Jochen
J
Lindborg
Regina
R
Ockinger
Erik
E
Pärtel
Meelis
M
Pino
Joan
J
Rodà
Ferran
F
Stefanescu
Constantí
C
Teder
Tiit
T
Zobel
Martin
M
Steffan-Dewenter
Ingolf
I
D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D053476:Extinction, Biological