Minimum viable populations (MVP)
Definition
The minimum number of individuals to ensure that a given population is not extinct.
Original definition (Shaffer 1981)
A minimum viable population for any given species in any given habitat is the smallest isolated population having a 99% chance of remaining extant for 1000 years despite the foreseeable effects of demographic, environmental, and genetic stochasticity, and natural catastrophes.
Key point: Probability of extinction within a given time
Theoretical controversy
99%
1000 years
Practical problems
How and what do we measure to obtain the probability?
References
- Shaffer, M. L. 1981. Minimum population sizes for species conservation. BioScience 31: 131-134.
- Environmental conservation