Wild Salmon Center, 721 NW Ninth Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97209-3446, USA.
Conserv Biol. 2009 Jun;23(3):680-91. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01156.x. Epub 2009 Feb 10.
Freshwater ecosystems are declining in quality globally, but a lack of data inhibits identification of areas valuable for conservation across national borders. We developed a biological measure of conservation value for six species of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in catchments of the northern Pacific across Canada, China, Japan, Russia, and the United States. We based the measure on abundance and life-history richness and a model-based method that filled data gaps. Catchments with high conservation value ranged from California to northern Russia and included catchments in regions that are strongly affected by human development (e.g., Puget Sound). Catchments with high conservation value were less affected by agriculture and dams than other catchments, although only 1% were within biodiversity reserves. Our set of high-value areas was largely insensitive to simulated error, although classification remained uncertain for 3% of catchments. Although salmon face many threats, we propose they will be most likely to exhibit resilience into the future if a complementary mosaic of conservation strategies can be proactively adopted in catchments with healthy salmon populations. Our analysis provides an initial map of where these catchments are likely to be located.
全球范围内，淡水生态系统的质量正在下降，但由于缺乏数据，无法确定具有跨国界保护价值的地区。我们为北太平洋流域的六种太平洋鲑鱼（Oncorhynchus spp.）开发了一种基于生物的保护价值衡量标准，这些流域分布在加拿大、中国、日本、俄罗斯和美国。我们的衡量标准基于丰度和生活史丰富度，以及一种基于模型的方法，该方法填补了数据空白。具有高保护价值的流域范围从加利福尼亚延伸到俄罗斯北部，包括受人类发展强烈影响的地区（如普吉特湾）的流域。与其他流域相比，高保护价值流域受农业和水坝的影响较小，尽管只有 1%位于生物多样性保护区内。我们的高价值区域集在很大程度上不受模拟误差的影响，尽管仍有 3%的流域的分类存在不确定性。尽管鲑鱼面临许多威胁，但如果在鲑鱼种群健康的流域中能够积极采用互补的保护策略组合，我们提出鲑鱼在未来最有可能表现出弹性。我们的分析提供了一个初步的地图，显示这些流域可能位于何处。
