Threat maps for conservation planning and policy across spatial scales

Abstract

Reducing threats to species will play a central role in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This makes it critical to understand the state of knowledge on where human activities directly threaten species and how such knowledge can inform conservation planning and policy decisions. The term 'threat mapping' has been applied to maps of threatened species (species status), human activities irrespective of species presence (pressures), or maps of the spatial co-occurrence between species and human pressures (threats). Inconsistency in terminology is one of multiple factors that hampers the ability of threat maps in guiding effective conservation actions. Here, the terminology is refined to define a threat map as a geographic representation of the spatial co-occurrence between species and threatening human pressures. The availability, characteristics, and utility of these maps has not yet been discussed or formally reviewed, yet it has the greatest potential to inform threat abatement activities. Therefore, this thesis aims to overcome barriers hindering the uptake of threat maps into threat abatement planning and policy decisions by: increasing the accessibility of existing threat mapping applications, increasing awareness of the gaps and biases in threat map production, and investigating the use of research practices that enhance relevance to decision-makers. This thesis revealed a rapidly increasing body of literature that was unevenly distributed across all collected attributes, mismatches in research effort relative to a quantitative indicator of conservation need, intended pathways to action that are focused on intermediary conservation planning processes rather than specific actions, and some stakeholder engagement in the design and delivery of studies. The findings provide a set of valuable resources that can be used in the design of future threat mapping research as well as highlighting eight high-priority gaps. Filling these gaps will have invaluable benefits to the achieving goals on reducing threats and preventing species extinctions.