Quantifying species recovery and conservation success to develop an IUCN Green List of Species
2018
Resit Akçakaya, H | Bennett, Elizabeth, L | Brooks, Thomas, M | Grace, Molly | Heath, Anna | Hedges, Simon | Hilton-Taylor, Craig | Hoffmann, Michael | Keith, David | Long, Barney | Mallon, David | Meijaard, Erik | Milner-Gulland, E, J | Rodrigues, Ana, S.L. | Rodriguez, Jon, Paul | Stephenson, P, J | Stuart, Simon, N | Young, Richard, P | Department of Ecology and Evolution ; Stony Brook University [SUNY] (SBU) ; State University of New York (SUNY)-State University of New York (SUNY) | IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) | Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) | International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) | World Agroforestry Centre ; University of the Philippines (UP System) | Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies ; University of Tasmania [Hobart] (UTAS) | Department of Zoology [Oxford] ; University of Oxford | Synchronicity Earth | Red List Unit ; International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) | Conservation and Policy ; Zoological Society of London | Centre for Ecosystem Sciences ; University of New South Wales [Sydney] (UNSW) | NSW Office of Environment and Heritage | Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) | Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology ; Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) | Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology ; University of Kent [Canterbury] | Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE) ; Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) ; Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [Occitanie])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro) | Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas = Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC) | Department of Environmental Systems Science [ETH Zürich] (D-USYS) ; Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich) | Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
International audience
Show more [+] Less [-]English. Stopping declines in biodiversity is critically important, but it is only a first step toward achieving more ambitious conservation goals. The absence of an objective and practical definition of species recovery that is applicable across taxonomic groups leads to inconsistent targets in recovery plans and frustrates reporting and maximization of conservation impact. We devised a framework for comprehensively assessing species recovery and conservation success. We propose a definition of a fully recovered species that emphasizes viability, ecological functionality, and representation; and use counterfactual approaches to quantify degree of recovery. This allowed us to calculate a set of 4 conservation metrics that demonstrate impacts of conservation efforts to date (conservation legacy); identify dependence of a species on conservation actions (conservation dependence); quantify expected gains resulting from conservation action in the medium term (conservation gain); and specify requirements to achieve maximum plausible recovery over the long term (recovery potential). These metrics can incentivize the establishment and achievement of ambitious conservation targets. We illustrate their use by applying the framework to a vertebrate, an invertebrate, and a woody and an herbaceous plant. Our approach is a preliminary framework for an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List of Species, which was mandated by a resolution of IUCN members in 2012. Although there are several challenges in applying our proposed framework to a wide range of species, we believe its further development, implementation, and integration with the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species will help catalyze a positive and ambitious vision for conservation that will drive sustained conservation action.
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