Umbrella Species as a Conservation Practice: Benefits and Limitations

An umbrella species in the context of ecology and biodiversity is defined by the Oxford Reference as "a species of plant or animal that has a large home range and broad habitat requirements, both of which overlap with other species, so that if it is given a large enough area for its own protection the other species will also benefit" (Park 2012).

They represent a shortcut for the maintenance of biodiversity considering the consistent limitations on finance, knowledge and time for action (Roberge 2004). However, the adoption of umbrella species as conservation practice is equivocal based on the empirical data of its effectiveness (Thornton 2016). 

This tool is useful in determining the minimum size for conservation areas, selecting the sites to be included in reserve networks and setting minimum standards for composition and processes of ecosystems (Roberge 2004). 

When charismatic umbrella species are selected, they can also become a representative surrogate for sympatric species which allows the increase of public support by emotional closeness and sympathy (Wang 2021). 

On the other hand, the analysis regarding the selection of umbrella species still needs some development. It is important to consider not only the geographical range overlap to correctly allocate the necessary actions and abate threats, but to optimize all the potential benefits resulting from such selection on flora and fauna (Ward 2019). Ward et al. by applying such methodology on the Australian federal government's prioritization list were able to conclude that the current choice of species benefits only 6% of all Australia's terrestrial species; by changing towards a more suitable list nearly half of species (46%) could be benefited using the same budget (Ward 2019).

This is also elaborated by Maslo et al. with their research on beach-nesting birds in America. Here, they conclude that with a deeper understanding and research on how umbrella species impact habitat attributes, we are able as well to segmentate the space into local or regional scales and assign to each a different and most appropriate umbrella species, rather than assessing one single species for the entire protected area (Maslo 2016).

Moreover, it is very important not to limit their objective in identifying one single umbrella species, which might sometimes lead to inefficient conservation practices as well as ineffective fundings directed towards one single charismatic species (Wang 2021).

In conclusion, "multi-species strategies based on systematic selection procedures (e.g., the focal species approach) offer more compelling evidence of the usefulness of the concept" (Roberge 2004).


References:


Chris Park, A Dictionary of Environment and Conservation, (2012), Oxford University Press, 2

Thornton, Daniel, et al. (2016), Assessing the umbrella value of a range-wide conservation network for Jaguars (Panthera onca), Ecological Applications, 26. (1112)

Jean-Michel Roberge, (2004), Usefulness of the Umbrella Species Concept as a Conservation Tool, Conservation Biology 18 (1)

Fang Wang, (2021), The hidden risk of using umbrella species as conservation surrogates: A spatio-temporal approach, Biological Conservation 253 

Bl. Maslo, (2016), Selecting umbrella species for conservation: A test of habitat models and niche overlap for beach-nesting birds, Biological Conservation 203

Michelle Ward, (2019), Use of surrogate species to cost-effectively prioritize conservation actions, Conservation Biology 34(3)


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