Contribution and applications of demographic concepts to conservation

Christie Le Coeur, Jan Perret, Aurélien Besnard, Sarah Cubaynes, Célian Monchy, Marwan Naciri, Mónia Nakamura, Olivier Gimenez

Studying the demographic processes that shape how populations respond to environmental changes has long provided insights for conservation biology. Recent theoretical advances have deepened our understanding of these processes, yet their application in conservation remains unclear. We conducted a literature search to examine how six key demographic concepts — life-history trade-offs, the fast–slow continuum, temporal covariation among demographic parameters, demographic buffering and lability, individual heterogeneity and transient dynamics — have been used in conservation, and discussed their potential benefits and limitations.
Their applications fall into three main categories: improving estimates of demographic parameters, population dynamics, and extinction risk; predicting the magnitude and duration of population responses to disturbances or conservation actions; and identifying the demographic processes most relevant for guiding conservation decisions. Individual heterogeneity and the fast–slow continuum were widely used, likely due to their low data and analytical requirements, allowing broad predictions of species’ vulnerability and informing conservation decisions. Trade-offs explained how populations adapt to anthropogenic disturbances, invasions or conservation actions. Conversely, temporal covariation and buffering–lability were rarely applied, despite their value for improving projections and assessing populations’ capacity to cope with environmental variability. Limited use reflects data and modelling needs, and, for temporal covariation, lack of direct conservation guidance. Transient dynamics, highlighting short-term responses and demographic resilience, are relevant because they match the timescale of many conservation projects.
We argue that even modest monitoring efforts can capture essential demographic processes, and that their systematic integration, directly or via inference from related systems, could strengthen long-term conservation outcomes.