Preserving 40% forest cover is a valuable and well-supported conservation guideline: reply to Banks-Leite et al
Víctor Arroyo-Rodríguez
,
Lenore Fahrig
,
James I. Watling
,
Justin Nowakowski
,
Marcelo Tabarelli
,
Lutz Tischendorf
,
Felipe P. L. Melo
,
Bráulio A. Santos
,
Maíra Benchimol
,
Jose Carlos Morante-Filho
,
J. W. Ferry Slik
,
Ima C. G. Vieira
,
Teja Tscharntke
May 2021
Abstract
Banks-Leite et al. (2021) claim that our suggestion of preserving ≥ 40% forest cover lacks evidence and can be problematic. We find these claims unfounded, and discuss why conservation planning urgently requires valuable, well-supported and feasible general guidelines like the 40% criterion. Using region-specific thresholds worldwide is unfeasible and potentially harmful.
Publication
Ecology Letters