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Published on: February 11, 2020
Parasite conservation now: turning knowledge into action
Skylar R Hopkins1, Chelsea L Wood2
1North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 275615, USA.
Abstract:
Parasite conservation is already underway, using existing knowledge and tools, but it needs more coordinated participation from parasitologists. Any expert can assess parasites for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List using standardized criteria based on parasites' geographic distributions, population sizes, and, when available, population trends. Evidence is being compiled from host association data, digitized museum specimens, and literature surveys, and then peer-reviewed through the IUCN Species Survival Commission Parasite Specialist Group to ensure scientific rigor. These assessments connect directly to conservation planning under local to international biodiversity conventions and norms and can inform both in situ and ex situ management to conserve parasites. By sharing data and expertise, parasitologists can turn parasitological knowledge into conservation action.
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