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.