Carroll Carlos, Rohlf Daniel J, vonHoldt Bridgett M, Treves Adrian, Hendricks Sarah A
Klamath Center for Conservation Research, Orleans, California.
Earthrise Law Center, in the Lewis and Clark Law School, Portland, Oregon.
Bioscience. 2020 Oct 29;71(1):73-84. doi: 10.1093/biosci/biaa125. eCollection 2021 Jan.
Recent advances in genomics have increased our understanding of geographic patterns of intraspecific variation and the importance of this variation in enhancing species' potential to adapt to novel threats. However, as part of an effort to limit the scope of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the US government has proposed the removal of the gray wolf from the list of protected species on the basis of a claim that the statute permits a species to be declared recovered given the existence of a single presently secure population. We rebut this interpretation and propose a framework for the conservation of adaptive potential that builds on current agency practice in delineating subspecific recovery units and reconciles the definition of significance in the statute's "distinct population segment" and "significant portion of range" clauses. Such a coordinated policy would enhance the ESA's effectiveness in stemming loss of biodiversity in the face of climate change and other factors altering Earth's ecosystems.
基因组学的最新进展增进了我们对种内变异地理模式的理解，以及这种变异在增强物种适应新威胁潜力方面的重要性。然而，作为限制《濒危物种法》（ESA）适用范围努力的一部分，美国政府提议将灰狼从受保护物种名单中除名，理由是该法规允许在存在一个目前安全的单一种群的情况下宣布一个物种已恢复。我们反驳这种解释，并提出一个保护适应潜力的框架，该框架基于当前机构在划定亚种恢复单元方面的做法，并协调法规中“独特种群段”和“重要分布区”条款中重要性的定义。这样一项协调一致的政策将提高《濒危物种法》在面对气候变化和其他改变地球生态系统的因素时遏制生物多样性丧失的有效性。
