The Conservation of Populations: Theory, Analysis, Application

Populations are coexisting individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time. Populations may subdivide into spatially distinct subunits comprising a metapopulation, where different subunits experience varying probabilities of extinction. As habitat loss and fragmentation have progressively contributed to population subdivision and increased extinction probability, metapopulation theory has received increasing attention in conservation biology and remains an area of active study and management application. To estimate extinction probability of populations generally, conservation biologists determine the size of minimum viable populations and employ population viability analysis, using analytical and simulation models to estimate the likelihood of population persistence. As some species recover from endangered status, these may transition to conservation reliant species, whose populations still need ongoing management intervention to persist.