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(NAS Colloquium) The Future of Evolution (2002) / Chapter Skim
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Rapid Plant Diversification: Planning for an Evolutionary Future
Pages 64-69

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From page 64...
... Because conservation planning is a spatially explicit exercise, even processes must be protected by their spatial components or surrogates. Accordingly, we describe a framework for planning for an evolutionary future in the CFR, identifying seven types of spatial components of evolutionary processes, setting explicit conservation targets for each, and outlining the development of a conservation plan to achieve these targets.
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From page 65...
... The challenge for conservation planning is, therefore, to create conditions that Cowling and Pressey enable evolutionary processes to continue in a rapidly changing world (48~. Systematic Conservation Planning Conservation planning is a branch of conservation biology that seeks to identify spatially explicit options for the preservation of biodiversity (49, 50~.
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From page 66...
... On the basis of our present understanding of diversification processes in the CFR, we identified seven spatial components to be protected to promote ongoing evolution and set targets for each (Table 1~. These targets can be used to produce a map of irreplaceability for evolutionary processes but, in the overall conservation plan, are combined with requirements for representing biodiversity pattern and the continuation of various ecological processes.
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From page 67...
... Exclude"unsuitable" planning units based on fragmentation of native vegetation and lack of contiguity with other units. Entire sand movement corridors Identify planning units containing At least one entire corridor Ecological diversification of plant the three specific dune pioneer of each type.
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From page 68...
... The mandatory reserves, however, do not contribute substantially to achieving process targets. Of the total area selected to achieve the targets, only 41% was contributed by the existing reserve system, and the area contribution of this system to each of the seven spatial components ranged from 0-48%.
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From page 69...
... The contributions of the conservation planning approach that we have used for the CFR are the spatial identification of evolutionary drivers and the setting of explicit targets for these spatial components. Furthermore, in the larger project described partially here, these considerations are being integrated more thoroughly than shown in this indicative and preliminary account.
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Key Terms

  • conservation planning
  • spatial components
  • biodiversity pattern
  • conservation targets
  • planning units

  • systematic conservation
  • conservation action
  • ecological diversification
  • conservation plan
  • plant lineages

  • existing reserve
  • process targets
  • evolutionary future
  • set targets
  • identify planning

  • achieve targets
  • mandatory reserves
  • key evolutionary
  • massive diversification
  • reservation targets

  • habitat units
  • spatially explicit
  • disturbance regimes
  • regional conservation
  • juxtaposed edaphically

  • generate biodiversity
  • explicit options
  • persistent seed
  • related species
  • explicit targets


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