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
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Philippa Brakes |
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