据4月11日的《科学》（Science）杂志报道说，马达加斯加是全球公认的生物多样性的热区，该国政府打算将被保护的土地面积扩大3倍，而研究人员现在已经有了应该将哪些地区纳入这一扩充保护地之内的计划。Claire Kremen及其共同作者说，他们的决策方法应该也适用于其它的生物多样性热区。
根据文章的作者披露，大约有50%的植物及超过70%的脊椎动物种系集中在占地球陆地面积仅2.3%的生物多样性热区中。Kremen及其同事对许多物种进行了分析，并将地理区域分成较小的区块。他们收集了有关蚂蚁、蝴蝶、蛙类、壁虎、狐猴及各种植物等地方特有物种的资料，并据此绘制了一幅被认为是扩大目前保护地网络最为重要的区域地图。这些地区包括位于中部高原群山及海岸林内的数个地区，而这些地区的森林覆盖面积相对较小但却有相当大的生物多样性。这些地区在历史上被忽视，因为人们更热衷于保护大块的森林区域。（来源：EurekAlert!中文版）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
（Science），Vol. 320. no. 5873, pp. 222 - 226，C. Kremen，M. L. Zjhra
Aligning Conservation Priorities Across Taxa in Madagascar with High-Resolution Planning Tools
C. Kremen,1,2* A. Cameron,1,2 A. Moilanen,3 S. J. Phillips,4 C. D. Thomas,5 H. Beentje,6 J. Dransfield,6 B. L. Fisher,7 F. Glaw,8 T. C. Good,9 G. J. Harper,10 R. J. Hijmans,11 D. C. Lees,12 E. Louis, Jr.,13 R. A. Nussbaum,14 C. J. Raxworthy,15 A. Razafimpahanana,2 G. E. Schatz,16 M. Vences,17 D. R. Vieites,18 P. C. Wright,19 M. L. Zjhra9
Globally, priority areas for biodiversity are relatively well known, yet few detailed plans exist to direct conservation action within them, despite urgent need. Madagascar, like other globally recognized biodiversity hot spots, has complex spatial patterns of endemism that differ among taxonomic groups, creating challenges for the selection of within-country priorities. We show, in an analysis of wide taxonomic and geographic breadth and high spatial resolution, that multitaxonomic rather than single-taxon approaches are critical for identifying areas likely to promote the persistence of most species. Our conservation prioritization, facilitated by newly available techniques, identifies optimal expansion sites for the Madagascar government's current goal of tripling the land area under protection. Our findings further suggest that high-resolution multitaxonomic approaches to prioritization may be necessary to ensure protection for biodiversity in other global hot spots.
