Information about trends in the extent of biomes, ecosystems and habitat-types on
a global scale is a crucial part of understanding the state and trends of
biodiversity as a whole, and determining the extent to which the 2010 target is
being met. This indicator is central to the CBD and is closely linked to species
indicators. Data on trends in the extent of biomes, ecosystems, and habitats is
essential for assessing the status of threatened species, and could also be used
to help model assessments of populations.
This indicator is unique in that it can be assessed globally and continuously
using satellite observations and does not require field-based monitoring. As a
result it is the only indicator that can be monitored globally in a
cost-effective way. There are a number of other headline indicators that can be
monitored or improved with remote sensing data and these include;
Connectivity/ fragmentation of ecosystems, Areas
under sustainable management and trends in
invasive alien species.
This indicator will be used to monitor global trends for a variety of habitats:
- Forest and forest types
- Grasslands
- Dry and sub-humid lands
- Peatlands
- Inland Wetlands
- Crop Lands
- Urban
- Polar/ice
- Tidal flats/estuaries
- Coral reefs
- Seagrasses
Living Planet Index
The
Living Planet Index (LPI) is an indicator of the state of global
biodiversity based on trends in populations of species from around the world. It
is updated and published biannually in the WWF Living Planet Report.
The LPI is calculated using time series population data for vertebrate species.
The 2006 LPI is based on over 3,600 populations for over 1,300 species of fish,
amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal. The index was developed for use at the
global scale, but can be used at any scale providing sufficient data is
available. The LPI has already been used by WWF to create national biodiversity
indices for Norway and Uganda.
Related Reports
Global Wild Bird Index
The Wild Bird Index (WBI) measures average population trends of a representative
suite of wild birds. It acts as an indicator of the general health of the wider
environment, based on the assumption that declines in wild bird populations are
intrinsically linked to the degradation of their environment. The indicator can
be applied to different geographic scales and different habitats, and is already
used widely across Europe to measure aspects of sustainable human development.
The WBI is currently being extended to the global scale.
This indicator will monitor changes in extent of protected areas globally,
including increases in the number of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and the
growth in area of their coverage. The latest changes at national and
sub-national levels will be revealed by 2010 for terrestrial protected areas and
2010 for MPAs. The data will be obtained from the
World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), a collaboration between
UNEP-WCMC and the
IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) which compiles information
on the protected areas of the world to produce a comprehensive global dataset
and maps. The database is compiled and managed with the support of a wide range
of national and international organisations, including protected areas agencies
in most countries.
Overlays with Biodiversity
This indicator would monitor the changes in protection of areas of key
importance for biodiversity worldwide, and will help to identify ecologically
distinct priority areas for conservation. It will be made up of a composite of
indicators that relate to species and taxon diversity as well as ecosystem and
habitat protection, and will include data on areas of key importance identified
by a number of international programmes and initiatives. Trends in the
protection of biodiversity at the global, regional, national, and sub-national
levels will be revealed by 2010.
Management Effectiveness of Protected Areas
Simply designating a site as a protected area does not ensure that the
ecosystems contained within it will be adequately conserved. This is an
important indicator as most nations use protected areas as a cornerstone of
biodiversity conservation, but to know whether this is a successful strategy we
need to know not only about the area and the systems they cover, but also
whether they are effectively managed. The indicator will focus on three themes:
protected area design, adequacy and appropriateness of management systems and
processes, and delivery of protected area objectives.
Red List Index and Sampled Red List Index
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is regarded as the most authoritative
and objective system for classifying species by their risk of extinction. Red
List extinction risk categories are assigned to species according to information
about their taxonomy, conservation status, and distribution. The Red List forms
the basis of two indicators: the Red List Index (RLI) and Sampled Red List Index
(SRLI).
The Red List Index (RLI) measures trends in the threat status of species, based
on population and range size and trends, as quantified by categories on the IUCN
Red List. It can be calculated for any representative set of species for which
Red List assessments have been carried out at least twice. The RLI can be
disaggregated to explore trends in different biogeographic realms, ecosystems,
habitats and taxonomic groups, and it can be applied at the global, regional,
and in some cases, national scales. At present, RLIs have been published for all
bird species (1988-2004) and a preliminary RLI is available for all amphibian
species (1980-2004). By 2010 there will be additional indices for mammals,
cycads and conifers.
The Red List Index approach is difficult to apply to larger clades as it is
impractical to conduct regular comprehensive assessments of groups such as fungi
(c.70,000 species), plants (c.280,000 species) and insects (c.950,000 species).
As a result, IUCN has developed the Sampled Red List Index (SRLI) to provide a
measure more representative of the world’s biodiversity. The SRLI is based on a
representative sample of species selected from a broader spectrum of taxonomic
groups, including reptiles, fish, insects, spiders, crustaceans, molluscs,
corals, plants, fungi and algae. By 2010 this indicator will show changes in the
rate of biodiversity loss for all vertebrate groups and baseline data will be
available for a representative set of plant groups.
Ex situ crop collections
Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) are the biological
basis of world food security and, directly or indirectly, support the
livelihoods of every person on earth. Ex situ crop collections are a
key tool for the conservation of crop plant varieties and their wild varieties,
and help to ensure that genetic diversity is not lost with the globalisation of
agriculture.
This indicator shows changes in the crop genetic diversity available for
sustainable agricultural production, and changes in the efforts to collect
specimens and conserve diversity. It will reflect changes in the number and
identities of crop species, and the number of accessions of each of those
species. This indicator will be composed of sub-indicators on:
- The quantity of accessions, genera, species, and crops conserved in ex situ
collections;
- The quality of ex situ collections;
- Capacity to conserve crop genetic diversity in ex situ collections in terms of
conservation facilities and human resources.
The indicator will be applicable at a range of scales, from collection (crop and
facility) to global. The trends produced by the indicator for the period of 1998
to 2007 will be available by 2010.
Genetic diversity of terrestrial domesticated animals
This indicator will show trends in the genetic diversity of domesticated animals
of major socioeconomic importance over time. In the absence of direct measures
of genetic diversity, domestic breeds provide the best indication of total farm
animal genetic diversity.
The indicator will be populated with data from the
Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) maintained by the Food
and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). DAD-IS, which
represents a global inventory of animal genetic resources, covers more than 30
species used for food and agriculture, and national data has been recorded for
more than 30 countries. Data from this information system is published in the
World Watch List for Domestic Animal Diversity (WWL-DAD), which provides
lists of breeds of domestic animals by country and risk category. There have
been three consecutive WWL-DADs published in 1993, 1995 and 2000. These WWL-DADs
provide a Red List of animal Genetic Diversity and analysis of the situation at
global, regional and national levels. As a result the indicator will show trends
in the number of breeds at risk and extinct
The international data sets available for this indicator can be aggregated to
produce trends at regional and global levels.