Journal Article

Identifying Species Conservation Strategies to Reduce Disease‐Associated Declines

Crockett, Harry J., Mosher, Brittany A., Converse, Sarah J., Muths, Erin, Gerber, Brian D., Bailey, Larissa L.

2018

Overview

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are a salient threat to many animal taxa, causing local and global extinctions, altering communities and ecosystem function. The EID chytridiomycosis is a prominent driver of amphibian declines, which is caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). To guide conservation policy, we developed a predictive decision‐analytic model that combines empirical knowledge of host‐pathogen metapopulation dynamics with expert judgment regarding effects of management actions, to select from potential conservation strategies. We apply our approach to a boreal toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas) and Bd system, identifying optimal strategies that balance tradeoffs in maximizing toad population persistence and landscape‐level distribution, while considering costs. The most robust strategy is expected to reduce the decline of toad breeding sites from 53% to 21% over 50 years. Our findings are incorporated into management policy to guide conservation planning. Our online modeling application provides a template for managers of other systems challenged by EIDs.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subject: Anaxyrus boreas / Batrachochytrium / Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis / Breeding sites / Chytridiomycosis / Conservation / Decision making / Ecological function / emerging diseases / Endangered & extinct species / Environmental policy / Expert elicitation / expert opinion / extinction risk / fungi / host‐pathogen dynamics / Infections / Infectious diseases / issues and policy / Knowledge / Mass extinctions / metapopulation viability / Metapopulations / Mortality / optimal strategy / Pathogens / planning / spatially explicit / structured decision / Toads / Wildlife conservation