A return-on-investment approach for prioritization of rigorous taxonomic research needed to inform responses to the biodiversity crisis.

• Main Authors: Jane Melville, David G Chapple, J Scott Keogh, Joanna Sumner, Andrew Amey, Phil Bowles, Ian G Brennan, Patrick Couper, Stephen C Donnellan, Paul Doughty, Danielle L Edwards, Ryan J Ellis, Damien Esquerré, Jéssica Fenker, Michael G Gardner, Arthur Georges, Margaret L Haines, Conrad J Hoskin, Mark Hutchinson, Craig Moritz, James Nankivell, Paul Oliver, Carlos J Pavón-Vázquez, Mitzy Pepper, Daniel L Rabosky, Kate Sanders, Glenn Shea, Sonal Singhal, Jessica Worthington Wilmer, Reid Tingley
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-06-01
• Series: PLoS Biology
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001210

Global biodiversity loss is a profound consequence of human activity. Disturbingly, biodiversity loss is greater than realized because of the unknown number of undocumented species. Conservation fundamentally relies on taxonomic recognition of species, but only a fraction of biodiversity is described. Here, we provide a new quantitative approach for prioritizing rigorous taxonomic research for conservation. We implement this approach in a highly diverse vertebrate group-Australian lizards and snakes. Of 870 species assessed, we identified 282 (32.4%) with taxonomic uncertainty, of which 17.6% likely comprise undescribed species of conservation concern. We identify 24 species in need of immediate taxonomic attention to facilitate conservation. Using a broadly applicable return-on-investment framework, we demonstrate the importance of prioritizing the fundamental work of identifying species before they are lost.