The loss of species: mangrove extinction risk and geographic areas of global concern

Polidoro, Beth A., Carpenter, Kent E., Collins, Lorna, Duke, Norman C., Ellison, Aaron M., Ellison, Joanna C., Farnsworth, Elizabeth J., Fernando, Edwino S., Kathiresan, Kandasamy, Koedam, Nico E., Livingstone, Suzanne, Miyagi, Toyohiko, Moore, Gregg E., Nam, Vien Ngoc, Ong, Jin Eong, Primavera, Jurgenne H., Salmo, Severino G., Sanciangco, Jonnell C., Sukardjo, Sukristijono, Wang, Yamin, and Hong Yong, Jean Wan (2010) The loss of species: mangrove extinction risk and geographic areas of global concern. PLoS ONE, 5 (4). e10095. pp. 1-10.

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Abstract

Mangrove species are uniquely adapted to tropical and subtropical coasts, and although relatively low in number of species, mangrove forests provide at least US $1.6 billion each year in ecosystem services and support coastal livelihoods worldwide. Globally, mangrove areas are declining rapidly as they are cleared for coastal development and aquaculture and logged for timber and fuel production. Little is known about the effects of mangrove area loss on individual mangrove species and local or regional populations. To address this gap, species-specific information on global distribution, population status, life history traits, and major threats were compiled for each of the 70 known species of mangroves. Each species' probability of extinction was assessed under the Categories and Criteria of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Eleven of the 70 mangrove species (16%) are at elevated threat of extinction. Particular areas of geographical concern include the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Central America, where as many as 40% of mangroves species present are threatened with extinction. Across the globe, mangrove species found primarily in the high intertidal and upstream estuarine zones, which often have specific freshwater requirements and patchy distributions, are the most threatened because they are often the first cleared for development of aquaculture and agriculture. The loss of mangrove species will have devastating economic and environmental consequences for coastal communities, especially in those areas with low mangrove diversity and high mangrove area or species loss. Several species at high risk of extinction may disappear well before the next decade if existing protective measures are not enforced.

Item ID: 30004
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1932-6203
Additional Information:

© 2010 Polidoro et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funders: New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Date Deposited: 30 Oct 2013 09:41
FoR Codes: 05 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 0502 Environmental Science and Management > 050202 Conservation and Biodiversity @ 30%
06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0603 Evolutionary Biology > 060311 Speciation and Extinction @ 40%
06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0602 Ecology > 060205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl Marine Ichthyology) @ 30%
SEO Codes: 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity > 960802 Coastal and Estuarine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity @ 50%
97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences @ 20%
96 ENVIRONMENT > 9605 Ecosystem Assessment and Management > 960503 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Coastal and Estuarine Environments @ 30%
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