The Impact of Conservation on the Status of the World's Vertebrates

HOFFMANN, M... LICHTENSTEIN ENTRE OTROS CO-AUTORES POR ORDEN ALFAB)

SCIENCE

AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE

Lugar: Washington; Año: 2010 vol. 330 p. 1503 - 1509

0036-8075

Knowledge of mammalian diversity is still surprisingly disparate, regionally and taxonomically. Here, we present the results of the most comprehensive assessment to date of the conservation status and distribution of the world?s mammals. Data, compiled by 1,700+ experts, cover all 5,487 species, including for the first time marine mammals. Global macroecological patterns are very different for land and marine species, but suggest common mechanisms driving diversity and endemism across systems. Compared to land species, threat levels are higher among marine mammals, driven by different processes (accidental mortality and pollution, rather than habitat loss), and spatially distinct (peaking in northern oceans, rather than in Southeast Asia). Marine mammals are also disproportionately poorly known. These data are made freely available to support further scientific developments and conservation action.