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Fixism and conservation science.

Alexandre Robert¹, Colin Fontaine¹, Simon Veron¹

¹Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO UMR7204), Sorbonne Universités, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, CP135, 43 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France.

Conservation Biology : the Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology

|December 13, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Biodiversity conservation, often criticized for a static view, actually aligns with evolutionary principles. Current conservation strategies address short-term human impacts on long-term evolutionary processes like extinction dynamics.

Keywords:

Anthropocene Antropoceno biodiversidad biodiversity especies ethics evolutionary potential potencial evolutivo species ética

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Area of Science:

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Conservation Science

Background:

Biodiversity conservation faces criticism for a perceived 'fixist' view, treating species as static targets.
This approach appears to contradict evolutionary dynamics and long-term ecological changes.
The use of past biodiversity as a benchmark for current conservation is common.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the role of species as units in conservation.
To examine the validity of using past biodiversity as a reference point.
To reconcile conservation practices with evolutionary principles.

Main Methods:

Literature review of conservation approaches and their theoretical underpinnings.
Analysis of the time scales involved in macroevolution versus human influence.
Examination of ethical and theoretical frameworks in conservation research.

Main Results:

The species approach in conservation is justified by the vast difference between macroevolutionary time scales and the pace of human impact.
Biodiversity benchmarks are founded on dynamic reference processes, not static states.
Current conservation methods (species, phylogenetic, community, functional) are short-term adaptations to human effects.

Conclusions:

Conservation research frameworks are inherently based on macroevolutionary processes, including extinction dynamics.
Contemporary conservation strategies are consistent with evolutionary principles.
Short-term conservation actions effectively address human-induced disruptions to long-term evolutionary trajectories.