Data from: Conservation genetics of Australasian sailfin lizards: flagship species threatened by coastal development and insufficient protected area coverage

Despite rampant coastal development throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific, studies of conservation genetics and ecology of vulnerable, coastal species are rare. Large bodied vertebrates with highly specialized habitat requirements may be at particular risk of extinction due to habitat degradation and fragmentation, especially if these habitats are naturally patchily distributed, marginal, or otherwise geographically limited, or associated in space with high human population densities or heavy anthropogenic disturbance. Particularly telling examples of these conservation challenges are large Australasian reptiles with obligate habitat requirements for lowland, coastal and mangrove forests. Plagued by habitat destruction due to high human densities along coastlines, sprawling rural development, and rapidly developing estuarine fisheries industry, coastal forest reptiles are experiencing rapid declines. And yet studies of population biology, genetics, and habitat requirements of species depending on these environments are few. We undertook the present study in order to take a multifaceted approach to understanding a poignant conservation problem. We identify significant evolutionary units for conservation in large-bodied Sailfin Lizards (genus Hydrosaurus), model suitable habitat in the Philippines from extensive occurrence data and evaluate the efficacy of the current protected area network, and identify the source of hydrosaurs in the illegal pet trade. We determine that the extent of the species' habitat coincident with protected areas is low. Our forensic evaluation of the illegal pet trade in the Philippines determines the existence of a natural population that is at risk of systematic exploitation by traders. Together, this integrative study characterizes a conservation urgency of particular significance: the genetically distinct Sailfin lizards of the Bicol faunal region, with suitable habitat virtually unprotected, and clear evidence of heavy exploitation for illegal trade. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first conservation genetic study to evaluate the potential effectiveness of the protected landscape coverage in the Philippines, a Megadiverse nation and Biodiversity Hotspot.

尽管东南亚与太平洋沿岸开发活动猖獗，但针对濒危沿海物种的保护遗传学（conservation genetics）与生态学研究仍极为匮乏。对栖息地需求高度特化的大型脊椎动物，因栖息地退化与破碎化，灭绝风险尤高——若这些栖息地本就天然呈斑块状分布、属于边缘生境或地理范围受限，又或其空间分布与高人口密度、强烈人为干扰高度重合，风险更甚。澳新界（Australasian）大型爬行动物便是这类保护挑战的典型例证，它们具有专性低地沿海与红树林栖息地需求。这类沿海森林爬行动物饱受海岸线高人口密度带来的栖息地破坏、蔓延式乡村开发以及快速发展的河口渔业产业所扰，种群正快速衰退。然而针对依赖此类生境的物种的种群生物学（population biology）、遗传学及栖息地需求的研究却寥寥无几。本研究采用多维度方法，旨在解析这一严峻的保护难题：我们针对大型帆蜥属（Hydrosaurus）物种确定了具有保护意义的重要进化单元（evolutionary units）；基于海量物种出现记录数据，对菲律宾境内的适宜栖息地进行建模；评估当前保护区网络的保护效能；并溯源菲律宾非法宠物贸易中的帆蜥来源。研究发现，与保护区重合的物种栖息地占比极低。针对菲律宾非法宠物贸易的溯源评估显示，存在一个正面临贸易者系统性捕捉风险的自然种群。综上，这项整合性研究揭示了一项尤为紧迫的保护议题：比科尔动物区系区（Bicol faunal region）内具有独特遗传特征的帆蜥种群，其适宜栖息地几乎未受保护，且存在明确的重度非法贸易利用证据。据我们所知，本研究是首个针对菲律宾——这座生物多样性超级大国与生物多样性热点地区（Biodiversity Hotspot）——的保护景观覆盖有效性展开评估的保护遗传学研究。