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Black rhinos and African elephants: lessons for conservation funding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 July 2009

N. Leader-Williams
Affiliation:
Large Animal Research Group, Department of Zoology, 34A Storey's Way, Cambridge CB3 ODT, UK.
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Abstract

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In theory, large reserves or parks reduce the risk of extinctions because they contain sizeable populations of endangered species of plants and animals. In practice, however, most developing countries do not have the resources to protect large areas and economically valuable species from illegal exploitation. This paper, modified from one published elsewhere (Leader-Williams and Albon, 1988) shows that the rates of decline of black rhinos Diceros bicornis and African elephants Loxodonta africana are related directly to conservation effort and spending. The author concludes that, if local extinctions are to be avioded, conservation schemes must be funded adequately or resources must be concentrated in small parts of large reserves.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 1990

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