A MULTIVARIATE APPROACH TO ASSESSING THREAT AND FOR PRIORITY SETTING IN THREATENED SPECIES CONSERVATION

The use of multivariate techniques for assessing the threats facing species and for determining priority groupings in threatened species conservation is evaluated Scores based on different criteria provide species profiles that allow species to be placed in multidimensional space. Species thal group together are likely to be threatened for similar reasons. Multivariate techniques identify the main factors threatening species and highlight problems with linear ranking schemes, especially where species can have the same total score for very different reasons Multi-variate techniques also allow identification of redundant criteria used in deriving species scores, and are free of problems associated with interdependence between criteria. Multivariate techniques provide a powerful additional tool for determining management priorities and for assessing threat and can also be used for assessing changes in species status with time and for modelling potential management actions for improving the security of a species However, in using these techniques it is essential to make a clear distinction between threat and priority.