Putting Forgotten Species on the Map Dr#Heather#Koldewey# Carly#Waterman,#Catherine#Head,#Cath#Lawson,## David#Curnick,#Matthew#Gollock

Home , Catalaphyllia, Ctenella, Dichocoenia, EDGE Species

Life on the EDGE: putting forgotten species on the map Dr#Heather#Koldewey# Carly#Waterman,#Catherine#Head,#Cath#Lawson,## David#Curnick,#Matthew#Gollock#

Zoological#Society#of#London#

Review across marine science disciplines The world’s ocean is at high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history Rogers and Laffoley, 2011 The agony of choice Slide 7 Conservation bias

Threatened Flagship Umbrella

Landscape Keystone Cultural value Subjective rather than scientific prioritisation? Slide 9 EDGE of Existence

Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered Evolutionarily Distinct…

B C A time time Evolutionarily Distinct…

B C A time time What is EDGE?

Evolutionary Distinctiveness - Phylogeny Global Endangerment - measures urgency of action

528 EDGE mammals / 799 EDGE amphibians / 5259 species assessed 4339 species assessed

EDGE Coral Reefs

The most biodiverse marine ecosystem © ZSL / author 10 Focal EDGE Coral Species

Order: Scleractinia

. Anomastraea irregularis . Dendrogyra cylindrus . Heliofungia actiniformis . Horastrea indica . Parasimplastrea sheppardi . Catalaphyllia jardinei . Dichocoenia stokesii . Physogyra lichensteini . Ctenella chagius . Acropora palmata

30% 15% 42% 20% 28% 44% 41% 80%

None None Limited Limited Active 70% receiving little 85% receiving little 80% receiving little or no conservation or no conservation or no conservation attention attention attention Slide 21 Future EDGE lists

• Birds • Sharks • Gymnosperms • Cyprinodontiformes EDGE Sharks

• Phylogeny/EDGE Scores in progress . ZSL . IUCN Shark Specialist Group . Florida State University . University of Puerto Rico

Aim to launch in 2013 The EDGE of Existence programme aims to complement other conservation priority-setting schemes to ensure that forgotten EDGE species are no longer overlooked.

Slide 24 Three Objectives!

1. Building conservation capacity in regions in which priority EDGE species occur

2. Supporting targeted on-the-ground action for priority EDGE species

3. Encouraging others to support and engage in EDGE species conservation

©!ZSL!/!author!!! EDGE Programme Aims

1. Building conservation capacity in regions in which priority EDGE species occur EDGE Fellowships

• Early career conservationists from countries in which priority EDGE species occur

• Applied conservation research or targeted conservation action on EDGE species EDGE Fellowships

• Funding over 2 years • 4-week Conservation Tools training course • Distance learning programme • 2-week Conservation Leadership course at ZSL • At least one project visit from ZSL Conservation Biologist • Ongoing technical advice/ mentoring

Slide 28 EDGE Corals training course

EDGE Programme Aims

2. Supporting targeted on-the-ground action for priority EDGE species Current EDGE Fellows

Ditto de la Rosa Grace Quiton New EDGE Fellows

Fellow: Radonirina Botosoamananto Country: Madagascar Project: Preliminary assessment of Horastrea indica in southwest Madagascar Fellow: Sylvanna Antat Country: Seychelles Project: Distribution patterns and symbionts associations of EDGE corals species © David Obura Fellow: Nikita Shiel-Rolle Country: Bahamas Project: Compile baseline information on Dendrogyra cylindrus EDGE Programme Aims

3. Encouraging others to support and engage in EDGE species conservation Local NGOs

Slide 36 International NGOs

Slide 37 Incorporating into global priority setting

Slide 38

• Photo of someone fundraising Slide 43 Slide 44 Relevance to zoos and aquariums?

Engaging our visitors in novel ways EDGE Corals in the aquarium trade

Heliofungia actiniformis (Mushroom coral) Catalaphyllia jardinei (Elegance coral) Physogyra lichtensteini (Pearl bubble coral) All popular in the aquarium trade and all hard to keep

• US$40,000 per Fellow (2 years) • Discrete project • Addressing gap in conservation efforts • Blogs, images, reports • Potential for visits • Acknowledged as funder Thanks to our funders to date

Slide 52 EDGE‘Never Fellows doubt training that course a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has’. Margaret Mead www.edgeofexistence.org

Thank you for listening!

You decide…..