Socio-economic development, scientific research, and exploitation explain differences in conservation status of marine and freshwater chondrichthyans among countries

LUCIFORA, LUIS O.; BARBINI, SANTIAGO A.; SCARABOTTI, PABLO A.; SABADIN, DAVID E.

REVIEWS IN FISH BIOLOGY AND FISHERIES

SPRINGER

Año: 2019 vol. 29 p. 951 - 964

0960-3166

Sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras (chondrichthyans) are of highconservation concern; especially obligate freshwater chondrichthyans,given their restricted ranges, proximity to humans, and threatenedhabitat. The biological traits that increase chondrichthyansusceptibility to extinction are well known. Less attention has beenput on the human determinants of chondrichthyan conservation status.Socio-economic development, scientific research, and exploitationaffect natural resource management and conservation. We assessed therelationship between these factors and chondrichthyan conservation.We ran generalized linear models with number of Threatened (THR),Least Concern (LC) and Data Deficient (DD) chondrichthyans asdependent variables, and indicators of socio-economic development(governance, human security, human development, and corruptionindices), scientific research (number of papers on chondrichthyans),and exploitation (total, industrial, and foreign catch ofchondrichthyans), as independent variables. Human density instead ofexploitation was a predictor for obligate freshwater chondrichthyans.Socio-economic development (regardless of the index used) andscientific research were associated to desirable conservation status,such as low THR and high LC, for both marine and obligate freshwaterspecies. Exploitation and human density (for obligate freshwaterchondrichthyans) were associated to negative conservation status,i.e. high THR and low LC. Current human density projectionstranslated into a 69% decrease in obligate freshwater chondrichthyansLC by 2050. Development produces desirable conservation status forchondrichthyans, but resource overconsumption must be reduced.Scientific research appears to assist sustainable use ofchondrichthyan resources, and should be promoted in developingcountries. Assessment and conservation of obligate freshwaterchondrichthyans, and freshwater biota in general, must be pursuedwith urgency.p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 120%; }p.western { font-family: "Liberation Serif", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; }p.cjk { font-family: "Droid Sans Fallback"; font-size: 12pt; }p.ctl { font-family: "FreeSans"; font-size: 12pt; }a:link { }