Quantifying species recovery and conservation success to develop an IUCN Green List of Species |
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Authors: | H Resit Akçakaya Elizabeth L Bennett Thomas M Brooks Molly K Grace Anna Heath Simon Hedges Craig Hilton‐Taylor Michael Hoffmann David A Keith Barney Long David P Mallon Erik Meijaard EJ Milner‐Gulland Ana SL Rodrigues Jon Paul Rodriguez PJ Stephenson Simon N Stuart Richard P Young |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, U.S.A.;2. IUCN Species Survival Commission;3. Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, U.S.A.;4. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Switzerland;5. World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), University of the Philippines, Philippines;6. Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia;7. Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, U.K.;8. Synchronicity Earth, London, U.K.;9. IUCN SSC Asian Elephant and Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group;10. IUCN Red List Unit, Cambridge, U.K.;11. Conservation Programmes, Zoological Society of London, London, U.K.;12. Centre for Ecosystem Sciences, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia;13. NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Hurstville, NSW 2220, Australia;14. Global Wildlife Conservation, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.;15. Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, U.K.;16. IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group;17. IUCN SSC Wild Pig Specialist Group;18. Center of Excellence for Environmental Decision, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia;19. Department of Zoology and Merton College, University of Oxford, OX2 6BW, U.K.;20. Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Montpellier, France;21. Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, and Provita, Caracas, Venezuela;22. Department of Environmental Systems Science, Ecosystem Management Group, Zürich, Switzerland;23. IUCN SSC Species Monitoring Specialist Group;24. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Jersey, Channel Islands, U.K. |
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Abstract: | 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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Keywords: | conservation impact conservation optimism recovered species red lists Saiga tatarica threatened species especies amenazadas especies recuperadas impacto de la conservació n listas rojas optimismo de conservació n Saiga tatarica 红 色 名 录 保 护 影 响 力 恢 复 物 种 受 威 胁 物 种 保 护 乐 观 主 义 赛 加 羚 羊 (Saiga tatarica) |
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