The paper "Mammals on the EDGE: Conservation Priorities Based on Threat and Phylogeny" by Isaac et al. (2007) introduces a new method for setting conservation priorities based on both phylogenetic diversity and extinction risk. The authors define a measure called Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) to quantify the contribution of each species to phylogenetic diversity. ED scores are calculated for all mammal species using a nearly complete species-level phylogeny and combined with extinction risk data from the IUCN Red List to generate a list of "EDGE species." These species are both evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered, representing a high proportion of total mammalian diversity. The study finds that many EDGE species are not typically recognized as conservation priorities, highlighting the need for reassessing global conservation strategies to prevent the loss of a disproportionately large amount of mammalian evolutionary history. The method is robust to clade size, missing species, and phylogenetic uncertainty, making it a useful tool for setting conservation priorities.The paper "Mammals on the EDGE: Conservation Priorities Based on Threat and Phylogeny" by Isaac et al. (2007) introduces a new method for setting conservation priorities based on both phylogenetic diversity and extinction risk. The authors define a measure called Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) to quantify the contribution of each species to phylogenetic diversity. ED scores are calculated for all mammal species using a nearly complete species-level phylogeny and combined with extinction risk data from the IUCN Red List to generate a list of "EDGE species." These species are both evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered, representing a high proportion of total mammalian diversity. The study finds that many EDGE species are not typically recognized as conservation priorities, highlighting the need for reassessing global conservation strategies to prevent the loss of a disproportionately large amount of mammalian evolutionary history. The method is robust to clade size, missing species, and phylogenetic uncertainty, making it a useful tool for setting conservation priorities.