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https://theconversation.com/mass-animal-extinctions-our-new-tool-can-show-why-large-mammals-like-the-topi-are-in-decline-233882>
"We could be witnessing the sixth mass extinction at an alarming rate
worldwide. It’s marked by the rapid loss of species due to human activities
like habitat destruction, pollution and climate change. Unlike previous mass
extinctions, which were caused by natural events, this one is driven by human
impact – like growing populations, pollution, invasive plant species and
human-wildlife conflict.
Large mammals are especially at risk, in Africa as elsewhere. For instance,
nearly 60% of wild herbivores – such as elephants and hippos – are already
threatened with extinction.
Effective conservation and recovery strategies are needed. To develop them, you
need to know how the population of a certain animal is doing and, if it is in
decline, what’s causing it.
One tool that’s useful here is a model, using biology, maths, statistics and
computer software.
The problem is that there aren’t enough of these realistic, effective models
for large mammals. There’s a shortage of appropriate data and the models are
complex to build.
I was part of a team that developed a model to help fill that void. It’s the
first to account for how large mammal populations interact with each other and
their environment while also incorporating their detailed biology. It draws on
valuable existing data and can be adapted for various wildlife species.
We tested the model on populations of east Africa’s topi (a large antelope).
From the results we’re able to deduce that the drivers of the topi’s massive
population decline were habitat loss, poaching and killing by predators.
Knowing what’s driving population declines is extremely valuable. Large mammals
play a critical role in ecosystems. Changes to their populations will also
affect many other species and could cause the extinction of connected species."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
