A new Yale School of the Environment-led analysis identifying gaps in maps that help forecast range contractions for African species found that all species studied have a portion of their range at risk and small carnivores warrant more concern. The study, published in PNAS and led by YSE Knobloch Family Associate Professor of Wildlife and Land Conservation Nyeema C. Harris, assessed 91 African carnivores to identify gaps in capacity necessary for their conservation. For example, the common slender mongoose (Herpestes sanguineus) and serval (Leptailurus serval) both have 16% of their ranges at risk of contraction while it was 70% for the Egyptian weasel (Mustela subpalmata). “There’s a growing interest in relying on geospatial data to make conservation decisions but the range maps are flawed,” says Harris. “Traditional gap analyses do not consider both threats and assets across the range that influence population persistence.

Source: Ethiopian News September 26, 2022 19:21 UTC