A return-on-investment approach for prioritization of rigorous taxonomic research needed to inform responses to the biodiversity crisis.
2021
Jane Melville | David G Chapple | J Scott Keogh | Joanna Sumner | Andrew Amey | Phil Bowles | Ian G Brennan | Patrick Couper | Stephen C Donnellan | Paul Doughty | Danielle L Edwards | Ryan J Ellis | Damien Esquerré | Jéssica Fenker | Michael G Gardner | Arthur Georges | Margaret L Haines | Conrad J Hoskin | Mark Hutchinson | Craig Moritz | James Nankivell | Paul Oliver | Carlos J Pavón-Vázquez | Mitzy Pepper | Daniel L Rabosky | Kate Sanders | Glenn Shea | Sonal Singhal | Jessica Worthington Wilmer | Reid Tingley
Global biodiversity loss is a profound consequence of human activity. Disturbingly, biodiversity loss is greater than realized because of the unknown number of undocumented species. Conservation fundamentally relies on taxonomic recognition of species, but only a fraction of biodiversity is described. Here, we provide a new quantitative approach for prioritizing rigorous taxonomic research for conservation. We implement this approach in a highly diverse vertebrate group-Australian lizards and snakes. Of 870 species assessed, we identified 282 (32.4%) with taxonomic uncertainty, of which 17.6% likely comprise undescribed species of conservation concern. We identify 24 species in need of immediate taxonomic attention to facilitate conservation. Using a broadly applicable return-on-investment framework, we demonstrate the importance of prioritizing the fundamental work of identifying species before they are lost.
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