Four Inspire4Nature fellows and several supervisors presented a symposium entitled Global trends in mammal distribution and threats on 17 June 2021 during the 100th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists . Carmen Soria, Maria Lumbierres, Prabhat Raj Dahal and Gonzalo Albaladejo gave several talks. Supervisors Carlo Rondinini and Michela Pacifici also organised and attended the session.
You can find the programme here
Abstract:
In a time when biodiversity is globally declining at unprecedented rates, researching patterns of species distributions and threats at a global scale is of vital importance. The main drivers of biodiversity loss are habitat loss, invasive species, climate change and overexploitation. Studying the relationship between these drivers and biodiversity loss is essential for effective conservation action. Although conservation is done at regional scale, drivers of biodiversity loss are global and interconnected, and coordinated action is necessary. Mammals, in particular, are among the most studied taxa, and contain emblematic, flagship and umbrella species. Studying their distributions, trends and threats and planning accordingly, can also help protect other species. Moreover, detailed information on the distribution and threats is an essential part of the evaluation of the Convention on Biological Diversity Targets and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main goal of this symposium is to give a comprehensive overview of mammal distribution and threats. To achieve a global and comprehensive understanding of the topic, we have invited mammologists working on different aspects of species loss, spatial analysis conservation planning and species traits both in the terrestrial and marine realms. This interdisciplinary group of experts will allow connecting the drivers and their interactions to obtain a clear picture of current and future mammal trends. Among other topics, we will give an overview of global threats for terrestrial mammals, focusing on tools to identify species affected by the two main current and future threats, habitat loss and climate change. We will also address the special situation that arctic marine mammals are facing in the current changing climate. Organizers: Maria Lumbierres, Michela Pacifici, Carlo Rondinini, and Carmen Soria.