Elemental conservation units: communicating extinction risk without dictating targets for protection

Area of Science:

• Conservation Biology
• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Debate exists on the best approach to conserve biodiversity below the species level.
• Distinguishing between preserving maximum biodiversity and minimizing loss of ecosystem services is crucial.
• Separating scientific assessment of extinction risk from normative protection goals is necessary.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a framework for conserving biodiversity below the species level.
• To distinguish between abstract biodiversity preservation and pragmatic ecosystem service maintenance.
• To differentiate scientific risk assessment from societal protection target setting.

Main Methods:

• Defined the elemental conservation unit (ECU) as a demographically isolated population.
• Proposed that ECU extinction risk be assessed over relevant time scales (e.g., 100 years).
• Advocated for integrating scientific advice on ECU loss probability and consequences into landscape planning.

Main Results:

• The elemental conservation unit (ECU) is identified as the smallest meaningful scale for extinction risk assessment.
• ECU loss is irreversible within human intervention time frames without human intervention.
• The ECU approach separates scientific assessment from societal value judgments.

Conclusions:

• The elemental conservation unit (ECU) framework offers a flexible approach for conservation decision-making.
• Scientific advice on extinction risk should be provided distinctly from normative conservation target setting.
• This framework ensures scientific data informs, but does not dictate, societal conservation priorities.