Rodrigues Ana S L
CEFE, University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier 34070, France.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2025 Jan 9;380(1917):20230209. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0209.
Whereas preventing species extinctions remains a central objective of conservation efforts, it must be complemented by the long-term preservation of functional ecosystems and of the benefits humans derive from them. Here, I review recent approaches that explicitly account for functionality in setting large-scale conservation priorities, discussing their promise while highlighting challenges and pitfalls. Crossing data on species' distributions and ecological traits has enabled the mapping of global patterns of functional diversity and functional rarity and the identification of species that stand out for their functional distinctiveness. However, the priorities identified through these general indices do not directly address ecosystem functionality, instead, they are methods for ensuring the representation of individual functional traits as intrinsically valuable biodiversity elements. Three other approaches integrate functionality into large-scale priorities by taking into account the specific context of each ecosystem, site or species: the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Ecosystems, Key Biodiversity Areas and the Green Status of Species. Currently at various stages of development, testing and implementation, these approaches are playing an increasingly important role in the definition, implementation and monitoring of global- and national-scale conservation strategies to ensure the long-term persistence of ecosystem functions and associated ecosystem services.This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Bending the curve towards nature recovery: building on Georgina Mace's legacy for a biodiverse future'.
尽管防止物种灭绝仍然是保护工作的核心目标，但还必须通过长期保护功能正常的生态系统以及人类从中获得的益处来加以补充。在此，我回顾了近期在设定大规模保护优先事项时明确考虑功能的方法，讨论了它们的前景，同时突出了挑战和陷阱。交叉分析物种分布数据和生态特征，使得绘制全球功能多样性和功能稀有性模式图以及识别因其功能独特性而突出的物种成为可能。然而，通过这些通用指标确定的优先事项并未直接涉及生态系统功能，相反，它们是确保将个体功能特征作为具有内在价值的生物多样性元素加以体现的方法。另外三种方法通过考虑每个生态系统、地点或物种的具体情况，将功能纳入大规模优先事项中：国际自然保护联盟的生态系统红色名录、关键生物多样性地区和物种绿色状态。目前处于不同的开发、测试和实施阶段，这些方法在全球和国家层面保护战略的定义、实施和监测中发挥着越来越重要的作用，以确保生态系统功能和相关生态系统服务的长期存续。本文是讨论会议议题“朝着自然恢复转变曲线：以乔治娜·梅斯的遗产为基础，实现生物多样性的未来”的一部分。
