Conservation gaps for Neotropical vipers: Mismatches between protected areas, species richness and evolutionary distinctiveness

LUIS G. OLIVEIRA-DALLAND; LAURA R.V. ALENCAR; LEANDRO R. TAMBOSI; PAOLA A. CARRASCO; RHETT M. RAUTSAW; JESÚS SIGALA; GUSTAVO SCROCCHI; MARCIO MARTINS

BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2022 vol. 275

0006-3207

The continuous decline in biodiversity despite global efforts to create new protected areas calls into question the effectiveness of these areas in conserving biodiversity. Numerous habitats are absent from the global protected area network, and certain taxonomic groups are not being included in conservation planning. Here, we analyzed the level of protection that the current protected area system provides to viper species in the Neotropical region through a conservation gap analysis. We used distribution size and degree of threat to set species-specific conservationgoals for 123 viper species in the form of minimum percentage of their distribution that should be covered by protected areas, and assess the level of protection provided for each species by overlapping their distributionwith protected areas of strict protection. Furthermore, using species richness and evolutionary distinctiveness as priority indicators, we conducted a spatial association analysis to detect areas of special concern. We found that most viper species have