[Coral-List] FW: Coral species extinction risk

[Douglas Fenner]

Another paper concluding that morphological traits that correlate with the
rate of extinction in Caribbean coral fossils do not correlate to Red List
status:

Raja et al. 2021. Morphological traits of reef corals predict extinction
risk but not conservation status.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geb.13321

I'd argue that most coral reef conservation programs and actions are not
based on either the Red List or the US Endangered Species Act.

I believe that a group is currently working on revising the Red Listings
for corals.

Cheers, Doug

On Wed, Feb 16, 2022 at 1:52 PM Baird, Andrew via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> Dear Corallist
>
> In the interests of balance, and as one of the people that helped collect
> the original data in Dietzl et al 2021, please find below an open access
> link to Dietzel et al's response to Muir et al 2022.
>
> https://rdcu.be/cGZ1R
>
> I think the most important point in this discussion, alluded to by both
> sets of authors, is the taxonomic uncertainly in the Scleractinia.
>
> The taxonomic framework we were working with when we collected the data,
> starting in the last millennia, was fundamentally flawed and remains so
> today. This does not undermine Dietzel et al's (2021) conclusion that there
> is no correlation between abundance and Red List status for most species.
> Indeed, it highlights the fact that most coral species should be described
> as data deficient.
>
> The bottom line is that no one can correctly and consistently identify
> most corals to species in most parts of the world. Consequently, any
> management strategy that relies on the correct and consistent
> identification of coral species is also flawed. This includes the Red List
> and most of the relevant legislation in many countries including Australia.
>
> It will take at least a decade before we have a robust taxonomy for the
> order, even if people start to take coral taxonomy seriously, therefore we
> need alternatives to the Red List and Endangered Species Acts to
> effectively manage coral reefs.
>
> Professor Andrew Baird
> ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
> James Cook University
> University Drive, Townsville Q 4811
> Bld 19, Room 120
> Tel. +61747814857
>
> Check out our website https://coralprojectphoenix.org/
>
>
>
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