Prioritizing Conservation of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Across Their Range

Resources available to conserve native species are limited and must be targeted where conservation is most critical and likely to be successful. We are prioritizing conservation of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout (YCT) across their range in collaboration with an Interagency Multi-State Conservation Work Group. This prioritization framework could be used for any species. We developed and applied a set of ecological and opportunity-based conservation criteria using the experience and knowledge of field managers. Ecological criteria were representation (genetic integrity and uniqueness), resilience (length or area of occupied habitat), and redundancy (number of populations or tributaries). Opportunity-based criteria were ability to address imminent threats, feasibility, and public support. We adopted a hierarchical process to prioritize river basins, individual conservation populations, threats to populations, and actions to reduce threats. Highest priority river basins were located at the core of the historical range (15 of 41 potential basins; 37%). We concluded that all 305 “conservation” populations should be preserved or enhanced. We prioritized these populations and identified threats. Threats included nonnative species, human activities, habitat degradation, climate change, and disease. The threat posed by non-native species was of the most immediate concern and must be addressed to conserve many YCT populations.