Include 'Ecosystem Engineers' to Enhance Conservation Plans

As a result, they are classified as "Ecosystem Engineers" The beaver is a well-known example of an ecosystem engineer. Beavers alter the flow of rivers by building dams, transforming terrestrial habitats into wetlands. This causes a chain reaction of events and the introduction of new animals.

Although particular occurrences of ecosystem engineers assisting biodiversity are well documented, the processes at action remain unknown. UNIL scientists have created a roadmap for forecasting and quantifying the impact of species on ecosystems under various scenarios.

The guide's goal is to include "ecosystem engineers" in the conservation and maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystems. The team's review was published in the journal Functional Ecology. The scientists worked in stages to develop this framework. First, information and literature on well-known ecosystem engineers were gathered.

The researchers then created a comprehensive framework to model and measure the species' effects. Finally, a procedure for incorporating these natural regulators into the field as much as possible was developed.

Gianalberto Losapio is the study's primary author and a researcher at UNIL's faculty of Geosciences and Environment. He also has ties to the University of Milan. "This guide is intended to help specialists and communities ask the right questions when setting up conservation programs," he said. For instance, what is the goal? What are the terrain's and spatial context's characteristics?"

The guide also includes tools for assessing the impact of actions taken so that they can be modified as needed. "Some restoration projects fail because introduced species cannot survive," Losapio adds. "We believe that a comprehensive approach has a better chance of success."