Abstract
Recognizing rare and endangered species and seeking their preservation is today the primary approach in conserving biological diversity. Although such efforts have achieved significant gains, there are undeniable limitations to this species-based approach. Here, we introduce the concept of "endangered ecosystems" (i.e., endangered spaces), which promotes the conservation of whole ecosystems and, thereby, the organisms that are inseparable from them. This ecosystem approach is important as a basis for conserving nature in a comprehensive way. An increasing number of conservation projects apply this concept in practice. In reviewing 22 examples from the red lists of ecosystems, landforms, and communities, we found 10 major features of endangered ecosystems: decreasing in area; intrinsically rare; declining ecological processes and function; associated with significant fragmentation; facing major threats from development; having high species diversity; providing good habitat for rare and endangered species; having a large, intact wilderness area; representative of a geographic region; and having high cultural and aesthetic values. The concept of endangered ecosystems is expected to overcome the limitations of the species-by-species conservation approach. In addition, it would assist in the preservation of ecosystems that lack protection from traditional legislative means; promote scientific research into ecological processes and functions; and motivate engagement among land managers, researchers, and public stakeholders to accelerate conservation planning in geographic regions.
