SCARCE AND ENDANGERED SPECIES - POPULATIO N BIOLOGY OF SPECIES CONSERVATION

Conservation-related research in Central Europe has concentrated on th e identification and description of rare habitat types, the distributi on of rare species and their habitat requirements. In contrast, popula tion-biological approaches to species conservation have been neglected . However, only population studies may allow us to estimate extinction risks and the size of viable populations, to identify key-factors in the population dynamics of endangered species and consequently to sugg est successful conservation measures