Umbrella species

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A panda eats bamboo
Giant pandas are considered an umbrella species.

Umbrella species are species selected for making conservation-related decisions, typically because protecting these species indirectly protects the many other species that make up the ecological community of its habitat (the umbrella effect). Species conservation can be subjective because it is hard to determine the status of many species. The umbrella species is often either a flagship species whose conservation benefits other species[1]: 280  or a keystone species which may be targeted for conservation due to its impact on an ecosystem. Umbrella species can be used to help select the locations of potential reserves, find the minimum size of these conservation areas or reserves, and to determine the composition, structure, and processes of ecosystems.[2]

Definitions

Two commonly used definitions are:

  • "A wide-ranging species whose requirements include those of many other species"[3]
  • A species with large area requirements for which protection of the species offers protection to other species that share the same habitat[4][5]

Other descriptions include:

  • "Traditional umbrella species, relatively large-bodied and wide-ranging species of higher vertebrates"[6]

Animals may also be considered umbrella species if they are charismatic. The hope is that species that appeal to popular audiences, such as pandas, will attract support for habitat conservation in general.[7]

In land use management

In the two decades after its inception, the use of umbrella species as a conservation tool has been highly debated. The term was first used by Bruce Wilcox in 1984,[8] who defined an umbrella species as one whose minimum area requirements are at least as comprehensive of the rest of the community for which protection is sought through the establishment and management of a protected area.

Some scientists have found that the use of an umbrella species approach can provide a more streamlined way to manage ecological communities.

mollusks and salamanders within that habitat. They found that the reserves set aside for the northern spotted owl "serve as a reasonable coarse-filter umbrella species for the taxa evaluated", which were mollusks and salamanders.[12]

Gilby and colleagues (2017) found that using threatened species as umbrellas or "surrogates" for management targets could improve conservation outcomes in coastal areas.[13]

Wildlife corridors

The concept of an umbrella species is further utilized to create wildlife corridors with what are termed focal species. These focal species are chosen for a number of reasons and fall into several types, generally measured by their potential for an umbrella effect. By carefully choosing species based on this criterion, a linked or networked habitat can be created from single-species corridors.[14] These criteria are determined with the assistance of geographic information systems on the larger scale. Regardless of the location or scale of conservation, the umbrella effect is a measurement of a species' impact on others and is an important part of determining an approach.

In the Endangered Species Act (US)

The

Endangered Species Act has a loophole excluding federally protected plants on private property. However, the California Environmental Quality Act reinforces state conservation regulations.[6] Using the Endangered Species Act to protect termed umbrella species and their habitats can be controversial because they are not as well enforced in some states as others (such as California) to protect overall biodiversity
.

Examples

Protecting a species like the

resources.[18]

— Kimberly Andrews

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-683-18051-0
  2. S2CID 73650330
    .
  3. OCLC 70686894
    .
  4. S2CID 8383041
    .
  5. ^ "Glossary". NOAA. 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  6. ^
    doi:10.1016/0006-3207(94)90054-x
    .
  7. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  8. ^ Wilcox, Bruce A. 1984. "In situ conservation of genetic resources: Determinants of minimum area requirements." In National Parks, Conservation and Development, Proceedings of the World Congress on National Parks. J.A. McNeely and K.R. Miller, Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 18–30.
  9. ISSN 1367-9430
    .
  10. ^
    ISSN 1051-0761
    .
  11. ISSN 0006-3207
    .
  12. ^ Dunk, Jeffrey R., William J. Zielinkski and Hartwell H. Walsh, Jr. 2006. "Evaluating reserves for species richness and representation in northern California." Diversity and Distributions, Vol. 12, 434–442.
  13. ^ Gilby, B.L., Olds, A.D., Connolly, R.M., Yabsley, N.A., Maxwell, P.S., Tibbetts, I.R., Schoeman, D.S. and Schlacher, T.A. (2017). "Umbrellas can work under water: Using threatened species as indicator and management surrogates can improve coastal conservation". Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 199: 132–140.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Majka, Dan. September 18, 2007. Selecting focal species. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
  15. ^ "Russia's Tough Tigers - National Zoo| FONZ". nationalzoo.si.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-02-20. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  16. ^ On the Right Way to Right Whale: Protections in the Gulf of Maine—Case Study (pdf)
  17. ^ National Geographic, 27 juillet 2021 The surprising ways sharks keep the ocean healthy
  18. ^ Gibbons, Whit. March 4, 2007. Preserve wildlife before it is lost to us forever. Retrieved April 14, 2008.

Further reading

External links
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