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ID:
The rate and scale of habitat changes has challenged the conservation community to quickly generate species risk assessments using readily accessible environmental variables as proxies and expedited methods. This study generates preliminary conservation assessments for the Amazonian Fish Species (AFS) that are currently awaiting IUCN assessment, and investigates relationships between extinction risks and ranges, elevations, and species publication date. Ours findings indicate that AFS are still preserved in many areas throughout the Amazon region, with the exception of those possessing narrow geographic ranges located outside formally protected areas. Additionally, our findings indicate that newly described species with smaller geographic ranges that inhabit upland rivers are more vulnerable to extinction. The AFS will benefit from conservation status by prioritizing geographic areas with the highest concentration of coexisting and threatened species. Thus, conservation efforts directed towards Amazonian ichthyofauna must prioritize upland habitats, particularly in the Brazilian and Guianas shields, which are home to the majority of the potentially threatened AFS.
Keywords:
Biodiversity, Ichthyology, Conservation assessments, Potentially threatened species.