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SAFE Index: An Assessment Tool to Determine Threatened Species Recovery

Akanksha Singh

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY


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demographic, environmental, or genetic stochasticity) (Flather et. al 2011). The determination of

which species has better prognosis not based on the population size being fixated around 5000

individuals, but it is rather explained by how far away it is from the ideal population size to be able to

recover.

The article also alluded to the notion that the index was a tool in determining if a species is

too costly to save from extinction. This is another major misinterpretation .Though it can be

deduced from the SAFE index what species would benefit the most from conservation efforts due to

limited resources, the index doesnt explicitly state which species are too costly and which arent.

Instead, the index provides a score to assess and compare species with each other to determine which

have a better prognosis of recovery from being threatened. Negative SAFE indices indicate that a

species is below the threshold MVP target of 5000 individuals (eg ifN= 4000, then SAFE index =

0.1), whereas positive SAFE indices indicate the species is above that threshold (eg ifN= 6000, then

SAFE index = 0.08) (Clements et. al 2011). Based on these scores and referring to the IUCN Red List,

the conservation efforts can be maximized by acting on species with promising recovery.

Lastly, the major aspect which the article completely failed to acknowledge was the purpose of

this research. The purpose was to devise a new, more accurate measure (when compared to other

measures such as percent range loss) to forecasting success of species recovery. As a result, it is

suggested that certain species possessing very little probability of persisting should be left to their

own devices and conservation efforts should focus on those species that will show recovery. The

reoccurring theme of the article was to question how our efforts should be best allocated by posing

this question: If we exhaust we all of our efforts on species that, according to the index, will perish

anyways, are we doing a disservice in neglecting those species less threatened that can be helped to

recover?


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I think the topic is something that is very relevant in a world where resources and finances are

limited. The research paper presents an argument that has no clear cut answer, but the information

presented as such, tempts the reader to consider if we should help only those who will benefit the

most.


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References

Clements RG, Bradshaw CJA, Brook BW and Laurance WF (2011). The SAFE index:

using a threshold population target to measure relative species threat. FRONTIERS

IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT 9: 521-525.

Curtis H. Flather, Gregory D. Hayward, Steven R. Beissinger, Philip A. Stephens, A

general target for MVPs: unsupported and unnecessary, Trends in Ecology &

Evolution, Volume 26, Issue 12, December 2011, Pages 620-622, ISSN 0169-5347,

10.1016/j.tree.2011.09.014.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169534711002746)

John R. Platt . (2011,Apri l ,23) . Australian mathematicians say some endangered

species not worth saving. Sc ien t i f i c Amer ican . Retrieved from

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinctioncountdown/2011/04/14/australianmathemati

ci ans-say-some-endangered-species-not-worth-saving/
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2011/04/14/australian-mathematicians-say-some-endangered-species-not-worth-saving/http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2011/04/14/australian-mathematicians-say-some-endangered-species-not-worth-saving/http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinctioncountdown/2011/04/14/australianmathematici%20%20%20%20%20%09ans-say-some-endangered-species-not-worth-saving/http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinctioncountdown/2011/04/14/australianmathematici%20%20%20%20%20%09ans-say-some-endangered-species-not-worth-saving/http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2011/04/14/australian-mathematicians-say-some-endangered-species-not-worth-saving/http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2011/04/14/australian-mathematicians-say-some-endangered-species-not-worth-saving/http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinctioncountdown/2011/04/14/australianmathematici%20%20%20%20%20%09ans-say-some-endangered-species-not-worth-saving/http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinctioncountdown/2011/04/14/australianmathematici%20%20%20%20%20%09ans-say-some-endangered-species-not-worth-saving/


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http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinctioncountdown/2011/04/14/australianmathematici%20%20%20%20%20%09ans-say-some-endangered-species-not-worth-saving/

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