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Island size is not the only consideration. Ranking priorities for the conservation of butterflies on Italian offshore islands

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Abstract

Ecological and historical factors virtually create a unique faunal assemblage on each island. From this perspective every island deserves protection. However, economic limitations usually restrict conservation efforts to particularly important areas. As part of the SLOSS issue (the relative importance of single large or several small areas), there is the long debated question of whether it is better to protect few large areas (islands) or several small areas (islands). Here, we assess the butterfly faunas of the Italian offshore islands, using several biodiversity measures, in order to highlight priorities for conserving butterfly richness, rarity and endemicity. First, the nested pattern of butterfly fauna was investigated to determine the relative importance of large and small islands. Then, residuals were assessed for the species-area relationship and for multiple regressions of richness, rarity and endemicity against geographic variables. Subsequently, two other indices were calculated: Biodiversity Conservation Concern and an index scoring islands in the order that maximizes the cumulative percentage of total, endemic, and rare species. The results clearly indicate that although greatest concern is for the island having the largest butterfly fauna in the sample (Elba), the importance of several small islands should not be ignored. This is primarily due to the substantial impact of source areas and consequently the occurrence of several rare and endemic species occurring on small islands as well as on large islands.

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Acknowledgements

This study was conducted in collaboration with the Tuscan archipelago National Park. We also wish to thank the director and personnel of Gorgona prison for allowing us to study butterflies on the island, and the “Stazione Forestale di Follonica” for making it possible to study butterflies on Montecristo and Paolo Parenzan, Paul Sammut and Franco Strumia for helping in compiling a comprehensive butterfly database. We thank referees for their helpful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Comprensivo Materna Elementere Media Convenevole da Prato, via 1° Maggio 40, 59100, Prato, Italy

    Leonardo Dapporto

  2. NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Monks Wood, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE28 2LS, UK

    Roger L. H. Dennis

  3. Institute for Environment, Sustainability and Regeneration, Staffordshire University, Mellor Building, College Road, Stoke on Trent, ST4 2DE, UK

    Roger L. H. Dennis

Authors
  1. Leonardo Dapporto
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  2. Roger L. H. Dennis
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Correspondence to Leonardo Dapporto.

 

 

Appendix 1 Data for islands
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Dapporto, L., Dennis, R.L.H. Island size is not the only consideration. Ranking priorities for the conservation of butterflies on Italian offshore islands. J Insect Conserv 12, 237–249 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-008-9150-9

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