Data from: Identifying critical vegetation types for biodiversity conservation in the Americas

The Americas contain highly biodiverse yet vulnerable ecosystems, with
many threatened species inadequately protected. Finer-scale, localized
habitat assessments are crucial for effective conservation planning, but
continental-scale high-resolution vegetation maps remain limited. This
study addresses this gap by identifying critical vegetation types across
the Americas using the standardized framework of the International
Vegetation Classification (IVC) system at the macrogroup level,
representing the finest vegetation classification available across the
region, as well as the highest-resolution Area of Habitat (AOH) maps
currently available for birds and mammals. By combining these
high-resolution IVC macrogroup maps with detailed AOH maps, we highlight
at-risk vegetation types based on 1) threatened and macrogroup-associated
species (species that have at least 50% of their AOH in one macrogroup),
2) current protection levels, and 3) projected threats from land use
changes, and 4) develop a conservation value index (CVI) that accounts for
all these factors. The results highlighted the remarkable diversity of
high conservation value macrogroups across the Americas, emphasizing their
significance in regions such as the Andes, montane Mesoamerica, the
Caribbean, Brazil's Cerrado, and the Atlantic Forest. Among the
highest-scoring macrogroups, the Northern Andean Montane & Upper
Montane Humid Forest emerged as critically important, harboring a high
number of threatened and macrogroup-associated species. Other macrogroups
of immediate conservation concern include the Brazilian Atlantic Montane
Humid Forest, Pacific Mesoamerican Seasonal Dry Forest, Caribbean Lowland
Humid Forest, and Central Midwest Oak Forest, Woodland and Savanna.
However, the study revealed that nearly three-quarters of the over 300
macrogroups in the Americas fall below the global target of 30%
protection. Notably, a fifth of all species were macrogroup-associated
species, including over 40% of threatened species. Our findings emphasize
the need for targeted conservation strategies that consider finer-scale
habitat classifications and paired with high-quality species distribution
data to guide conservation strategies for biodiversity across the
Americas.