Ten Principles from Evolutionary Ecology for the Effective Conservation of Reptiles and Amphibians

Reptiles and amphibians are disproportionately threatened among vertebrates but are lagging behind other vertebrate taxa with regards to conservation plans. As the need to triage data-limited species becomes ever more necessary, calls for conservation priorities to be based on evolutionary considerations are increasing. Although there now exists a large body of literature documenting insight that theory can provide to conservation, complex life cycles of many reptiles and amphibians prevents a simple transference of management principles derived from other vertebrate taxa. Thus, there is a need for a set of principles that acknowledges the unique ecology and diversity of herpetofauna. Here we present 10 key principles from evolutionary ecology that can provide rules of thumb to guide management of reptiles and amphibians. Broadly, we identify five landscape-related principles and five life-history–related principles that account for novel ways in which reptiles and amphibians are shaped by the environments they inhabit. When considered in combination they can be useful in providing a holistic view of a species' status. We hope this paper facilitates identification of species that are in critical need of management intervention and provides a guide for managers and conservation scientists to proactively mitigate extinction risk.