Population viability analysis is the process that determines the probability that a population will go extinct within a given number of years. The discipline of Conservation Biology has two general goals: the assessment and the management of biological diversity, which can be done at the level of populations, communities, and/or whole ecosystems.

The first goal, assessment, involves defining the current state of a population, predicting its future, and identifying any threats to its persistence. For example, an assessment may involve estimating the number of individuals in a population, predicting future numbers, and evaluating the role of habitat loss and fragmentation (is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present.) in the population's current status and its predicted future. The second goal, management, involves identifying and implementing solutions to ensure persistence (e.g., by determining where and how to establish a protected area).

Assessment and management are complementary goals essential for effective conservation. Thus, Population vulnerability analysis as an integrative approach to evaluate the full range of forces impinging on populations and to make determinations about viability and extinction. Population analysis depends on many factors like; density–dependent factors, Competition for food, predation and natural disasters like – earthquakes, floods etc.

MORE INFO