A wide megafauna gap undermines China’s expanding coastal ecosystem conservation

To fulfill sustainable development goals, many countries are expanding efforts to conserve ecologically and societally critical coastal ecosystems. Although megafauna profoundly impact the functioning of ecosystems, they are neglected as a key component in the conservation scheme for coastal ecosystems in many geographic contexts. Here, we reveal a rich diversity of extant megafauna associated with all major types of coastal ecosystems in China, including 218 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, cephalopods and fishes across terrestrial and marine environments. However, 44% of these species are globally threatened and 78% have not yet been assessed in China for extinction risk. More worrisome, 73% of these megafauna have not been designated as nationally protected species, and <10% of their most important habitats are protected. Filling this wide “megafauna gap” in China, and globally, would be a leading step as humanity strives to thrive with coastal ecosystems., A dataset of extant megafaunal species associated with coastal ecosystems in China was compiled (focused on mainland China). Three criteria were used to screen species: the species has (i) a maximum body mass no less than 10 kg, (ii) habitat association with coastal ecosystems, and (iii) geographic ranges encompassing China. Species were screened in the following databases: the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2022-2), FishBase (ver. 2023-2), and SeaLifeBase (ver. 2022-12), including all Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Chondrichthyes, Actinopterygii, and Cephalopoda. 
This dataset contains species functional traits (including maximum body mass, thermoregulation, feeding mechanism, diet, coastal affinity, vertical position, and coastal habitat use), extinction risk categories (including Red Lists of IUCN and China), and threats to species (IUCN threat classification scheme)  for these megafauna. , , # Data from: A wide megafauna gap undermines China's expanding coastal ecosystem conservation

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We compiled a dataset of extant megafaunal species associated with coastal ecosystems in China (we focused on mainland China throughout this work). Three criteria were used to screen species: the species has (i) a maximum body mass no less than 10 kg, (ii) habitat association with coastal ecosystems, and (iii) geographic ranges encompassing China. We screened species in the following databases: the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2022-2), FishBase (ver. 2023-2), and SeaLifeBase (ver. 2022-12), including all Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Chondrichthyes, Actinopterygii, and Cephalopoda.

## Description of the data and file structure

This dataset includes the functional traits of these megafaunal species (found in the \"species_dataset\" sheet), their extinction risk categories (also in the \"species_dataset\" sheet), and information on the threats they face (in the \"threat_dataset\" sheet...

为实现可持续发展目标，多国正加大力度保护具有重要生态与社会价值的近岸生态系统。尽管巨型动物群（megafauna）对生态系统功能有着深远影响，但在诸多地理区域的近岸生态系统保护方案中，它们常被作为关键类群忽视。本研究揭示了中国境内与各类主要近岸生态系统相关的现存巨型动物群的丰富多样性，涵盖陆地与海洋环境中的哺乳类、鸟类、爬行类、头足类及鱼类共218个物种。然而，其中44%的物种处于全球受威胁状态，且78%的物种尚未在中国开展灭绝风险评估。更令人担忧的是，73%的此类巨型动物群未被列入国家保护物种名录，其最重要的栖息地中不足10%得到了保护。填补中国乃至全球范围内显著存在的“巨型动物群缺口”，将是人类与近岸生态系统协同存续的关键一步。

本研究构建了中国（聚焦中国大陆）近岸生态系统相关现存巨型动物物种数据集。物种筛选遵循三项标准：（1）最大体重不低于10千克；（2）与近岸生态系统存在栖息关联；（3）地理分布范围覆盖中国境内。物种筛选基于以下数据库：国际自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录（IUCN Red List of Threatened Species，版本2022-2）、FishBase（版本2023-2）及SeaLifeBase（版本2022-12），涵盖哺乳纲（Mammalia）、鸟纲（Aves）、爬行纲（Reptilia）、软骨鱼纲（Chondrichthyes）、辐鳍鱼纲（Actinopterygii）及头足纲（Cephalopoda）的所有类群。

本数据集包含这些巨型动物的物种功能性状（包括最大体重、体温调节方式、摄食机制、食性、近岸栖息偏好、垂直分布位置及近岸生境利用类型）、灭绝风险等级（涵盖国际自然保护联盟红色名录及中国红色名录），以及物种面临的威胁信息（采用国际自然保护联盟威胁分类体系）。

# 数据来源：《显著的巨型动物群缺口掣肘中国日益推进的近岸生态系统保护》

本研究构建了中国（本研究全程聚焦中国大陆）近岸生态系统相关现存巨型动物物种数据集。物种筛选遵循三项标准：（1）最大体重不低于10千克；（2）与近岸生态系统存在栖息关联；（3）地理分布范围覆盖中国境内。本研究基于以下数据库完成物种筛选：国际自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录（IUCN Red List of Threatened Species，版本2022-2）、FishBase（版本2023-2）及SeaLifeBase（版本2022-12），涵盖哺乳纲（Mammalia）、鸟纲（Aves）、爬行纲（Reptilia）、软骨鱼纲（Chondrichthyes）、辐鳍鱼纲（Actinopterygii）及头足纲（Cephalopoda）的所有类群。

## 数据与文件结构说明
本数据集包含上述巨型动物物种的功能性状（存放于"species_dataset"工作表）、灭绝风险等级（同样存放于"species_dataset"工作表），以及其所面临的威胁信息（存放于"threat_dataset"工作表……）