Biology:Romeo error

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Short description: Concept in conservation biology

In conservation biology, Romeo error is a term used to refer to a scenario in which an extant species is prematurely declared extinct, and the subsequent decline in conservation efforts results in further population decline or actual extinction. The term was first used in the context of conservation biology in a 1998 paper on the rediscovery of the Cebu flowerpecker (Dicaeum quadricolor).

Origin and definition

The term "Romeo error" was used by writer Lyall Watson in his 1974 book The Romeo Error to refer to instances in which a still living person is declared dead.[1] The term refers to the character Romeo of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in which Romeo's "error" is that, in incorrectly believing that Juliet has died, he inadvertently causes her actual death.[2][3]

The term was first used in the context of conservation biology by ornithologist Nigel J. Collar in a 1998 paper in the journal Oryx entitled "Extinction by assumption; or, the Romeo Error on Cebu".[4][5] The paper discusses the Cebu flowerpecker (Dicaeum quadricolor), a species of bird endemic to the Philippine island of Cebu. The bird had not been seen since 1906, and was widely presumed extinct, until it was later rediscovered in a 2 km2 (0.77 sq mi) patch of remnant forest in 1992.[6][7] Collar argued that by labelling the Cebu flowerpecker as extinct, its extinction became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Collar explains that, had the species not been presumed extinct, conservation measures could have been taken to prevent the deforestation that contributed to its decline.[4][5]

The term has come to be used by scientists to refer to the positive feedback loop towards extinction caused by premature declarations of a species' extinct status.[2][8][9][10]

Impact

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature's guidelines for using the Red List criteria cautions that species should not be listed as extinct or extinct in the wild if there is any reasonable possibility that they may still be extant, lest assessors commit the Romeo error.[11] As of 2017, the guidelines have allowed assessments to further categorise or "tag" critically endangered species as being possibly extinct or possibly extinct in the wild in hopes of avoiding the Romeo error. This tag may be applied to species that are considered likely to be extinct, but for which there is a small chance that they are still extant.[11][12][13]

Committing the Romeo error risks undermining public trust in conservation efforts.[14] Conversely, fear of the Romeo error has been noted to contribute to an underestimation of extinction rates and may risk limited conservation resources being wasted.[1][9][15]

See also

  • Lazarus taxon, a term applied to species that have been rediscovered after being declared extinct

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tanswell, Fenner Stanley (2024). "The Concept of Extinction: Epistemology, Responsibility, and Precaution". Ethics, Policy & Environment 27 (2): 205–226. doi:10.1080/21550085.2022.2133937. ISSN 2155-0093. OCLC 611899718. Bibcode: 2024EPolE..27..205T. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Donald, Paul F.; Collar, Nigel J.; Marsden, Stuart J.; Pain, Deborah J. (2013). Facing Extinction: The World's Rarest Birds and the Race to Save Them (2nd ed.). London: Christopher Helm. p. 226. ISBN 978-1-4081-8966-5. OCLC 864784277. 
  3. ↑ Carstens, Andy (1 March 2023). "How Do Scientists Decide a Species Has Gone Extinct?". https://www.the-scientist.com/how-do-scientists-decide-a-species-has-gone-extinct-70972. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Collar, N.J. (1998). "Extinction by assumption; or, the Romeo Error on Cebu". Oryx 32 (4): 239–244. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3008.1998.d01-51.x. ISSN 0030-6053. OCLC 476155896. Bibcode: 1998Oryx...32..239C. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Akçakaya, H.R.; Keith, David A.; Burgman, Mark; Butchart, Stuart H.M.; Hoffmann, Michael; Regan, Helen M.; Harrison, Ian; Boakes, Elizabeth (2017). "Inferring extinctions III: A cost-benefit framework for listing extinct species". Biological Conservation 214: 336–342. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2017.07.027. ISSN 0006-3207. OCLC 38840579. Bibcode: 2017BCons.214..336A. 
  6. ↑ Magsalay, Perla; Brooks, Thomas; Dutson, Guy; Timmins, Rob (1995). "Extinction and conservation on Cebu". Nature 373 (6512): 294. doi:10.1038/373294a0. ISSN 0028-0836. OCLC 01586310. Bibcode: 1995Natur.373..294M. 
  7. ↑ Braverman, Irus (2015). "En-listing life". in Gillespie, Kathryn; Collard, Rosemary-Claire. Critical Animal Geographies: Politics, intersections, and hierarchies in a multispecies world. London: Routledge. pp. 184–203. doi:10.4324/9781315762760. ISBN 9781315762760. OCLC 903488843. 
  8. ↑ Schmidt Silveira, Fernanda; Schneider, Angelo Alberto; de Moura Baptista, Luis Rios (2019). "The role of a local rediscovery in the evaluation of the conservation status of a plant species: Testing the hypothesis of the biodiversity knowledge gap". Journal for Nature Conservation 48: 91–98. doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2018.10.004. ISSN 1618-1093. OCLC 51231982. Bibcode: 2019JNatC..48...91S. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Roberts, David L.; Hinsley, Amy; Fiennes, Sicily; Veríssimo, Diogo (2023). "Understanding the drivers of expert opinion when classifying species as extinct". Conservation Biology 37 (1). doi:10.1111/cobi.14001. ISSN 0888-8892. OCLC 715539913. PMID 36073325. Bibcode: 2023ConBi..37E3968R. 
  10. ↑ Roberts, David L.; Fisher, Martin (2020). "Schrödinger's cat extinction paradox". Oryx 54 (2): 143–144. doi:10.1017/S0030605319001509. ISSN 0030-6053. OCLC 476155896. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria". International Union for the Conservation of Nature. 2024. https://www.iucnredlist.org/documents/RedListGuidelines.pdf. 
  12. ↑ Butchart, Stuart H.M.; Lowe, Stephen; Martin, Rob W.; Symes, Andy; Westrip, James R.S.; Wheatley, Hannah (2018). "Which bird species have gone extinct? A novel quantitative classification approach". Biological Conservation 227: 9–18. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2018.08.014. ISSN 0006-3207. OCLC 38840579. 
  13. ↑ Scheffers, Brett R.; Yong, Ding Li; Harris, J. Berton C.; Giam, Xingli; Sodhi, Navjot S. (2011). "The World's Rediscovered Species: Back from the Brink?". PLoS ONE 6 (7). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022531. ISSN 1932-6203. OCLC 228234657. 
  14. ↑ Jarić, Ivan; Roberts, David L. (2014). "Accounting for observation reliability when inferring extinction based on sighting records". Biodiversity and Conservation 23 (11): 2801–2815. doi:10.1007/s10531-014-0749-8. ISSN 0960-3115. OCLC 25565450. 
  15. ↑ Cowie, Robert H.; Bouchet, Philippe; Fontaine, Benoît (2022). "The Sixth Mass Extinction: fact, fiction or speculation?". Biological Reviews 97 (2): 640–663. doi:10.1111/brv.12816. ISSN 0006-3231. OCLC 457010919. 



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