Conservation prioritization based on trait-based metrics illustrated with global parrot distributions

Aim Conservation planning and prioritization generally have focused on protecting taxa based on assessments of their long-term persistence or on protecting habitats and sites with high species richness. An implicit assumption of these approaches is that species are equally different from each other. We propose metrics for conservation planning and prioritization that include consideration of differences among taxa in their functional characteristics to ensure long-term maintenance of ecosystem functioning and services. Innovation We define metrics of functional distinctiveness, irregularity and singularity for a species. Functional distinctiveness is the mean distance in trait space of a species to all other species in a community. Functional irregularity is the variation in the proportional distances of a focal species to all other species based on a Hill function. Functional singularity is the product of those two metrics. These metrics can be weighted based on proportional abundance, biomass or frequency of occurrence. The metrics can be used to prioritize particular species for conservation based on their functional characteristics or to identify functionally distinct priority areas for conservation using the mean functional distinctiveness, irregularity and singularity of a set of species in an area. The metrics can be compared to the species richness of that area, thereby identifying areas that might have low species richness, but whose species are especially functionally distinct, providing important information of conservation relevance. Main conclusions Applying these metrics to data on the global distributions of parrots, we identified species that are not of current conservation concern because they are geographically widespread, but which might be prioritized due to their functional singularity (e.g., the scarlet macaw). We also identified areas that are species poor and not generally considered noteworthy for their parrot fauna, but that contain a fauna that is functionally singular (e.g., Chile). Together, these metrics broaden the criteria used for conservation prioritization.