Conservation Research and Action

Conservation Strategies

The field of conservation has developed over the last several decades, and with it so have strategies for efficient use of resources. The spatial and temporal scale of threats dictates that effective, targeted conservation strategies must be employed.

GWC scientists are documenting research and engaging in action on priorities for species conservation. GWC scientists contributed to the documentation and analysis of the location and status of the world’s most threatened terrestrial vertebrates. A major study was published in 2005 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This study led to the formation of the Alliance for Zero Extinction, a coalition of many of the world's leading conservation organizations focused on key sites for biodiversity conservation. A summary of the results describes the conceptual framework and details the key sites worldwide, which are viewable on a global map. We are currently working on efforts to prevent these impending extinctions.

GWC scientists worked on a project to document the world's remaining intact mammal faunas, with the study published in the Journal of Mammalogy. A BBC news story describes the results of the research.