A global reptile assessment highlights shared conservation needs of tetrapods

Neil Cox, Bruce E. Young*, Philip Bowles, Miguel Fernandez, Julie Marin, Giovanni Rapacciuolo, Monika Böhm, Thomas M. Brooks, S. Blair Hedges, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Michael Hoffmann, Richard K.B. Jenkins, Marcelo F. Tognelli, Graham J. Alexander, Allen Allison, Natalia B. Ananjeva, Mark Auliya, Luciano Javier Avila, David G. Chapple, Diego F. Cisneros-HerediaHarold G. Cogger, Guarino R. Colli, Anslem de Silva, Carla C. Eisemberg, Johannes Els, Ansel Fong G, Tandora D. Grant, Rodney A. Hitchmough, Djoko T. Iskandar, Noriko Kidera, Marcio Martins, Shai Meiri, Nicola J. Mitchell, Sanjay Molur, Cristiano de C. Nogueira, Juan Carlos Ortiz, Johannes Penner, Anders G.J. Rhodin, Gilson A. Rivas, Mark Oliver Rödel, Uri Roll, Kate L. Sanders, Georgina Santos-Barrera, Glenn M. Shea, Stephen Spawls, Bryan L. Stuart, Krystal A. Tolley, Jean François Trape, Marcela A. Vidal, Philipp Wagner, Bryan P. Wallace, Yan Xie

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

234 Scopus citations

Abstract

Comprehensive assessments of species’ extinction risks have documented the extinction crisis1 and underpinned strategies for reducing those risks2. Global assessments reveal that, among tetrapods, 40.7% of amphibians, 25.4% of mammals and 13.6% of birds are threatened with extinction3. Because global assessments have been lacking, reptiles have been omitted from conservation-prioritization analyses that encompass other tetrapods4–7. Reptiles are unusually diverse in arid regions, suggesting that they may have different conservation needs6. Here we provide a comprehensive extinction-risk assessment of reptiles and show that at least 1,829 out of 10,196 species (21.1%) are threatened—confirming a previous extrapolation8 and representing 15.6 billion years of phylogenetic diversity. Reptiles are threatened by the same major factors that threaten other tetrapods—agriculture, logging, urban development and invasive species—although the threat posed by climate change remains uncertain. Reptiles inhabiting forests, where these threats are strongest, are more threatened than those in arid habitats, contrary to our prediction. Birds, mammals and amphibians are unexpectedly good surrogates for the conservation of reptiles, although threatened reptiles with the smallest ranges tend to be isolated from other threatened tetrapods. Although some reptiles—including most species of crocodiles and turtles—require urgent, targeted action to prevent extinctions, efforts to protect other tetrapods, such as habitat preservation and control of trade and invasive species, will probably also benefit many reptiles.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)285-290
Number of pages6
JournalNature
Volume605
Issue number7909
DOIs
StatePublished - 12 May 2022

Funding

FundersFunder number
961 Red List assessors
Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica-Fondo para la Investigación Científica y TecnológicaRC 2014-0116
Environment Agency Abu Dhabi
Global Protected Area Friendly System
Museum für Naturkunde
National Biodiversity Institute
Regina Bauer Frankenberg Foundation
Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology Foundation
Species Survival Commission
Species Survival Commission
Wildlife Reserves Singapore
National Science Foundation1932765, 1136586, 1455761
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
World Wildlife Fund122031100282-2
Rufford Foundation
Zoological Society of London
Rainforest Trust
Australian Research Council
Monash University
University of Western Australia
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo2020/12658-4, 2015/20215-7
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación
Toyota Motor Corporation
Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Distrito Federal
Ministério do Meio Ambiente
Universidad del Bío-Bío
Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment

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