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Preserving 40% forest cover is a valuable and well-supported conservation guideline: reply to Banks-Leite et al.
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  • Víctor Arroyo-Rodríguez,
  • Lenore Fahrig,
  • James Watling,
  • Justin Nowakowski,
  • Marcelo Tabarelli,
  • Lutz Tischendorf,
  • Felipe Melo,
  • Bráulio Santos,
  • Maira Benchimol,
  • Jose Carlos Morante-Filho,
  • Ferry Slik,
  • Ima Vieira,
  • Teja Tscharntke
Víctor Arroyo-Rodríguez
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Lenore Fahrig
Carleton University
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James Watling
John Carroll University
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Justin Nowakowski
Smithsonian Institution
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Marcelo Tabarelli
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
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Lutz Tischendorf
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Felipe Melo
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
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Bráulio Santos
Universidade Federal da Paraíba
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Maira Benchimol
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Jose Carlos Morante-Filho
Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz
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Ferry Slik
Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Ima Vieira
Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi
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Teja Tscharntke
University of Goettingen
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Abstract

Banks-Leite et al. (2021) claim that our suggestion of preserving ≥40% forest cover lacks evidence and can be problematic. We find these claims unfounded, and discuss why conservation planning urgently requires valuable, well-supported, and feasible general guidelines like the 40% criterion. Using region-specific thresholds worldwide is unfeasible and potentially harmful.
16 Dec 2020Submitted to Ecology Letters
16 Dec 2020Submission Checks Completed
16 Dec 2020Assigned to Editor
22 Dec 2020Editorial Decision: Accept
May 2021Published in Ecology Letters volume 24 issue 5 on pages 1114-1116. 10.1111/ele.13689