Determinants of bird conservation action implementation and associated population trends of threatened species

Conservation actions, such as habitat protection, attempt to halt the loss of
threatened species and help their populations to recover. Various research
has examined the efficiency and the effectiveness of actions individually.
However, conservation actions generally occur simultaneously so the full
suite of implemented conservation actions should be assessed. We used
the conservation actions underway for all threatened and near-threatened
birds of the world (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) to assess which
biological (related to taxonomy and ecology) and anthropogenic (related to
geo-economics) factors are associated with the implementation of different
classes of conservation actions. We also assessed which conservation
actions are associated with population increases in the species targeted.
Extinction risk category was the strongest single predictor of the type of
conservation actions implemented, followed by landmass type (continent,
oceanic island etc) and generation length. Species targeted by invasive
alien species control/eradication programs, ex situ conservation,
international legislation, reintroduction, or education and awareness-raising
activities were more likely to have increasing populations. These results
illustrate the importance of developing a predictive science of conservation
actions and the relative benefits of each class of implemented conservation
action for threatened and near-threatened birds worldwide.