Now, a new model based on a phylogenetic analysis of the mammalian order Carnivora, described online in the open-access journal PLoS Biology, could help focus conservation efforts by predicting which species face greatest risk. The model predicts risk based on the density of local human populations combined with various traits of different species of carnivores, such as their population density, gestation length, and habitat range. The research, by Marcel Cardillo and other conservation scientists from London, Virginia and the IUCN, finds that combining data on species' biology with that on human population densities yields better predictions of extinction risk than either set of data can alone. For example, a species with a long gestation period that lives close to densely populated human areas are at greater risk than species with similar gestation periods that live near sparsely populated areas. When under heavy pressure from people--whether hunting or habitat loss--species with long gestation periods can't repopulate fast enough and become endangered.
Based on projected human population growth, the researchers predict that many carnivore species will join the list of endangered species list by 2030. Most of these species live in Africa, where human populations are growing faster than the global average. Based on the researchers' projections, some species currently considered low conservation priorities--such as members of the weasel-like viverrid family--could soon become endangered.
Altogether, these results indicate that as human population pressure
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13-Jul-2004