Dear MarMam I'm pleased to announce the following multi-authored, open access paper in Proceeding B on animal culture and conservation. Whilst a cross-taxa publication, it may be of interest to many on this list: A deepening understanding of animal culture suggests lessons for conservation Philippa Brakes, Emma L. Carroll, Sasha R. X. Dall, Sally A. Keith, Peter K. McGregor, Sarah L. Mesnick, Michael J. Noad, Luke Rendell, Martha M. Robbins, Christian Rutz, Alex Thornton, Andrew Whiten, Martin J. Whiting, Lucy M. Aplin, Stuart Bearhop, Paolo Ciucci, Vicki Fishlock, John K. B. Ford, Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Mark P. Simmonds, Fernando Spina, Paul R. Wade, Hal Whitehead, James Williams and Ellen C. Garland Proc. R. Soc. B.288: 20202718 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.2718 Abstract A key goal of conservation is to protect biodiversity by supporting the long-term persistence of viable, natural populations of wild species. Conservation practice has long been guided by genetic, ecological and demographic indicators of risk. Emerging evidence of animal culture across diverse taxa and its role as a driver of evolutionary diversification, population structure and demographic processes may be essential for augmenting these conventional conservation approaches and decision-making. Animal culture was the focus of a ground-breaking resolution under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an international treaty operating under the UN Environment Programme. Here, we synthesize existing evidence to demonstrate how social learning and animal culture interact with processes important to conservation management. Specifically, we explore how social learning might influence population viability and be an important resource in response to anthropogenic change, and provide examples of how it can result in phenotypically distinct units with different, socially learnt behavioural strategies. While identifying culture and social learning can be challenging, indirect identification and parsimonious inferences may be informative. Finally, we identify relevant methodologies and provide a framework for viewing behavioural data through a cultural lens which might provide new insights for conservation management. This paper is a follow-on from a Science article by the same group, published in 2019: Animal Cultures Matter for Conservation Science 08 Mar 2019: Vol. 363, Issue 6431, pp. 1032-1034 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw3557 https://science.sciencemag.org/content/363/6431/1032 Abstract Animal culture, defined as "information or behavior-shared within a community-which is acquired from conspecifics through some form of social learning" (1), can have important consequences for the survival and reproduction of individuals, social groups, and potentially, entire populations (1, 2). Yet, until recently, conservation strategies and policies have focused primarily on broad demographic responses and the preservation of genetically defined, evolutionarily significant units. A burgeoning body of evidence on cultural transmission and other aspects of sociality (3) is now affording critical insights into what should be conserved (going beyond the protection of genetic diversity, to consider adaptive aspects of phenotypic variation), and why specific conservation programs succeed (e.g., through facilitating the resilience of cultural diversity) while others fail (e.g., by neglecting key repositories of socially transmitted knowledge). Here, we highlight how international legal instruments, such as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), can facilitate smart, targeted conservation of a wide range of taxa, by explicitly considering aspects of their sociality and cultures. Kind regards Philippa Brakes Research Fellow Telephone: +64-(0)21 612306 WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation PO Box 17711 Sumner Christchurch Canterbury 8840 New Zealand whales.org<http://whales.org> [WDC is 30 Years old!' Help us protect whales and dolphins over the next 30 years]<http://whales.org/> [WDC on Facebook]<http://www.facebook.com/whales.org> [WDC on Twitter] <http://www.twitter.com/WHALES_org> [WDC on Instagram] <http://www.instagram.com/whaleanddolphinorg> [WDC on YouTube] <http://www.youtube.com/wdcsuk> [WDC Blogs] <http://whales.org/en/blog> [WDC E-Newsletter] <http://whales.org/en/newsletter> [Registered with Fundraising Regulator] <https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/> [http://www.wdcs.org/images/ESM/CampaignImages/NWF.png]<https://notwhalefood.com/> ________________________________ Whale and Dolphin Conservation ("WDC") is a company registered in England and Wales (No. 02737421) and a registered charity (in England and Wales No. 1014705, in Scotland No. SC040231) WDC Shop is a trading name of WDC (Trading) Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (No. 02593116) Registered office : Brookfield House, 38 St. Paul Street, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 1LJ. Tel: +44 (0)1249 449 500 This message is private and confidential. If you have received this message in error, please notify us and remove it from your system. ________________________________
