Bail, Nicholas J., Hoskin, Conrad J., Hines, Harry B., Frankham, Richard, and Higgie, Megan (2026) Seven reasons why threatened species managers must consider genetic health. BioScience. biag046. (In Press)

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Abstract

Genetic management is well established as an essential component of threatened species management. In small populations, deteriorating genetic health—such as increases in inbreeding and losses of genetic diversity—becomes an important cause of extinction. Cost-effective genetic management practices exist, but a lack of awareness limits widespread application. We provide seven reasons threatened species managers must consider genetic health, each of which can be read in under 5 min. These reasons are intended to be a synthesis for a broader audience than is generally reached by specialist scientific literature. Consequently, we aim to empower threatened species’ managers, agencies, and policymakers to recognize the relevance of genetic health to the species under their responsibility and to actively seek the support of conservation genetics experts.

Item ID:	92695
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1525-3244
Keywords:	genetic management; conservation; genetic diversity; inbreeding; augmented gene flow
Copyright Information:	© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Funders:	James Cook University (JCU)
Date Deposited:	06 Aug 2026 02:40
FoR Codes:	31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3105 Genetics > 310599 Genetics not elsewhere classified @ 30% 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410401 Conservation and biodiversity @ 40% 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410407 Wildlife and habitat management @ 30%
SEO Codes:	18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1806 Terrestrial systems and management > 180606 Terrestrial biodiversity @ 34% 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1805 Marine systems and management > 180504 Marine biodiversity @ 33% 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1803 Fresh, ground and surface water systems and management > 180303 Fresh, ground and surface water biodiversity @ 33%
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