SETTING CONSERVATION PRIORITIES FOR THREATENED SPECIES - A JOINT GROUPING AND SEQUENCING METHOD

The Fynbos and Karoo Biomes in South Africa have the highest concentration of threatened plant species of any temperate region in the world. The limited resources available for conserving these species should be used with carefully analysed priorities which take account of a complex suite of criteria. A two-stage analysis is described for this, employing the Uniter computer program which clusters and sequences threatened species using evaluated priority criteria. In the first stage, the criteria are aspects of the need for conserving the species and in the second, their biological and practical ease of conservation. The species with similar profiles we grouped together, making the sequences more information-rich and a better guide for conservation planning. The methods are demonstrated using 20 Endangered and Vulnerable species from the Cape Peninsula.