Small mammals constitute almost half of all known mammal species and often play fundamental roles in a range of ecological processes. Yet, they receive little conservation or research attention compared to larger bodied species. It is therefore imperative that we are able identify regions where conservation efforts could have the most impact for this understudied group of animals, including areas that are hotspots for threatened species.
The IUCN Small Mammal Specialist Group (SMSG) – with partners at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust[1], Texas A&M University[2], the Zoological Society of London[3] and Re:wild[4] – led a project to map global levels of diversity, and corresponding hotspots, of two often-overlooked yet highly diverse orders, Rodentia and Eulipotyphla (“insectivores”). Using data gathered from the IUCN Red List[5], six richness hotspots were identified for eulipotyphlans, and ten for rodents. These were found to sometimes overlap, for example in Africa (the Cameroonian Highlands and Albertine Rift), India and Sri Lanka. The study highlighted southern Central America and northern South America as the areas with the highest number of ‘data deficient’ species (species for which population or distribution information is significantly lacking), and also demonstrated that a substantial amount of global small mammal diversity is not currently spatially protected; five eulipotyphlan and 45 rodent species occur completely outside of any protected area.
The SMSG channelled these results into conservation action. The group held a workshop in Mexico, which, as the study findings showed, is a hotspot of high aggregations of both threatened and data deficient rodents and eulipotyphlans. This workshop was attended by researchers, conservationists and other stakeholders, during which a huge amount of data were collated, a prioritisation method jointly agreed and enacted, and then rapid action plans for the top species collectively devised. The SMSG intends to replicate this in additional key regions identified during the study, with Sulawesi the next target for conservation action planning.
This project was submitted to the BIAZA Awards in 2022 and won a Silver award in the Field Conservation category.
