Prioritization of areas in China for the conservation of endangered birds using modelled geographical distributions

Abstract

We developed distributional models for 90 threatened bird species in China, and used heuristic complementarity algorithms to prioritize areas for conservation. The pixel-based area selection prioritized 20 areas for protection, which covered all species analysed. Area selecting for endangered species based on the existing biosphere reserve system included only 37–62 species in eleven reserves, leaving 28–53 species unprotected. We employed algorithms for area selection based on species richness and rarity and obtained two views of a most efficient reserve network. We used the distributional hypotheses to identify additions to the reserve system that would improve its effectiveness substantially. The pixel-based area selection approach includes species much more efficiently on a per-area basis, and thus offers exciting perspectives for improved protection of the country’s endangered avifauna.