Conservation in heavily urbanized biodiverse regions requires urgent management action and attention to governance

• Main Authors: Laura J. Kehoe, Jessie Lund, Lia Chalifour, Yeganeh Asadian, Eric Balke, Sean Boyd, Deborah Carlson, James M. Casey, Brendan Connors, Nicolai Cryer, Mark C. Drever, Scott Hinch, Colin Levings, Misty MacDuffee, Heidi McGregor, John Richardson, David C. Scott, Daniel Stewart, Ross G. Vennesland, Chad E. Wilkinson, Pamela Zevit, Julia K. Baum, Tara G. Martin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2021-02-01
• Series: Conservation Science and Practice
• Subjects: conservation planning; cost‐effectiveness; decision science; estuary; expert elicitation; governance
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.310

Abstract Throughout history, humans have settled in areas of high biodiversity. Today these areas are home to our biggest urban centers with biodiversity at increasing risk from escalating cumulative threats. Identifying the management strategies to conserve species within such regions, and ensuring effective governance to oversee their implementation, presents enormous challenges. Using a novel Priority Threat Management (PTM) approach that calculates the cost‐effectiveness of conservation action and co‐governance, we discover that the 102 species at risk of local extinction within Canada's most diverse, heavily urbanized coastal region, the Fraser River estuary, require urgent investment in management strategies costing an estimated CAD$381 M over 25 years. Our study also suggests that co‐governance underpins conservation success in urban areas, by increasing the feasibility of management strategies. This study underscores that biodiversity conservation in heavily urbanized areas is not a lost cause but does require strategic planning, attention to governance, and large‐scale investment.