ABSTRACT Successful conservation of threatened species requires judicious allocation of limited resources. The threatened Black-throated Finch southern subspecies (Poephila cincta cincta), endemic to north-eastern Australia, has suffered an 80% contraction in its historical range. Stemming ongoing habitat loss is the main priority in its conservation, but remaining areas where habitat has been degraded require active management. However, the scarce information about the subspecies’ ecology has inhibited effective conservation planning. In this paper, we gather and review current knowledge on the Black-throated Finch southern subspecies’ ecology and threats and propose a list of research priorities aimed to support conservation management. We highlight how available knowledge could lead to false assumptions due to the limited temporal scope of most studies and their focus on a substantially modified area within its current range. There is a shortage of information on the present population size and distribution of the subspecies, which creates uncertainty about its conservation status. Our top three priority actions are focused on monitoring the remaining populations and evaluating the effects of management practices in pastoral land. We expect this paper to serve as a first step to create a cohesive framework for researchers and stakeholders when deciding to invest in the conservation of this iconic finch.

中文翻译：

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保护濒临灭绝的黑喉雀南方亚种：我们需要知道什么？

摘要 受威胁物种的成功保护需要对有限资源进行明智的分配。受威胁的黑喉雀南部亚种 (Poephila cincta cincta) 是澳大利亚东北部特有的物种，其历史范围内已缩减了 80%。阻止持续的栖息地丧失是其保护的主要优先事项，但栖息地退化的剩余区域需要积极管理。然而，关于亚种生态的稀缺信息阻碍了有效的保护规划。在本文中，我们收集并回顾了关于黑喉雀南部亚种生态和威胁的当前知识，并提出了旨在支持保护管理的研究优先事项列表。我们强调，由于大多数研究的时间范围有限，并且它们专注于当前范围内经过实质性修改的区域，因此可用知识如何导致错误假设。缺乏有关该亚种目前种群规模和分布的信息，这对其保护状况造成了不确定性。我们的前三项优先行动侧重于监测剩余种群并评估牧区管理实践的影响。在决定投资保护这种标志性雀类时，我们希望本文能够作为为研究人员和利益相关者创建一个有凝聚力的框架的第一步。缺乏有关该亚种目前种群规模和分布的信息，这对其保护状况造成了不确定性。我们的前三项优先行动侧重于监测剩余种群并评估牧区管理实践的影响。在决定投资保护这种标志性雀类时，我们希望本文能够作为为研究人员和利益相关者创建一个有凝聚力的框架的第一步。缺乏有关该亚种目前种群规模和分布的信息，这对其保护状况造成了不确定性。我们的前三项优先行动侧重于监测剩余种群并评估牧区管理实践的影响。在决定投资保护这种标志性雀类时，我们希望本文能够作为为研究人员和利益相关者创建一个有凝聚力的框架的第一步。