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Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology ›› 2011, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (01): 257-267.

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Methods and applications of population viability analysis (PVA): A review.

TIAN Yu1, WU Jian-guo1,2,3, |KOU Xiao-jun1, WANG Tian-ming1, Andrew T. SMITH2, GE Jian-ping1   

  1. 1Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China|2School of Life Sciences/Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA|3Sino-US Center for Conservation, Energy and Sustainability Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China
  • Online:2011-01-18 Published:2011-01-18

Abstract: With the accelerating human consumption of natural resources, the problems associated with endangered species caused by habitat loss and fragmentation have become greater and more urgent than ever. Conceptually associated with the theories of island biogeography, population viability analysis (PVA) has been one of the most important approaches in studying and protecting endangered species, and this methodology has occupied a central place in conservation biology and ecology in the past several decades.  PVA has been widely used and proven effective in many cases, but its predictive ability and accuracy are still in question. Also, its application needs expand. To overcome some of the problems, we believe that PVA needs to incorporate some principles and methods from other fields, particularly landscape ecology and sustainability science. Integrating landscape pattern and socioeconomic factors into PVA will make the approach theoretically more comprehensive and practically more useful. Here, we reviewed the history, basic conception, research methods, and modeling applications and their accuracies of PVA, and proposed the perspective in this field.

Key words: population viability analysis, minimum viable population, extinction risk, population dynamics