Tools for action on at-risk ecosystems

The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems equips decision makers with the information they need to design policies and plans that will help the world achieve conservation and development goals. 

Drift ice at dawn in Shiretoko, Hokkaido, Japan Photo: Shutterstock / zincreative

Ecosystems sustain all life on this planet. When ecosystems are threatened, the species, food, water, and all of the other natural resources that we and our economies depend on, are also in danger.

And they are.

Ecosystems are being degraded at an unprecedented rate and one of the biggest challenges facing humanity is how to stop and reverse this alarming decline.

What do we need to do to safeguard the Earth’s remaining ecosystems and restore biodiversity and a healthy environment? Which ecosystems are most at risk? What are the biggest threats to our ecosystems? What tools do we have for answering these questions?

The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) aims to build a better understanding of ecosystems at risk to support quick and effective conservation action at global and national levels. By identifying ecosystems at high risk of collapse and associated risk factors, the RLE supports informed conservation decision making with the aim of improved resource use and management.

The Red List of Ecosystems evaluates the level of risk facing a particular ecosystem and indicates whether it is at Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable risk levels, or whether it is in a state of collapse or does not currently face a significant risk of collapse (areas of Least Concern). Ecosystems are evaluated based on a set of rules, or criteria, for performing evidence-based, scientific assessments of the risk of ecosystem collapse, as measured by reductions in geographical distribution or degradation of the key processes and components of ecosystems. 

The RLE evaluation criteria and process are based on science and knowledge developed through years of work by top ecosystems experts around the world, including from IUCN’s Commission on Ecosystem Management, IUCN Members and the Secretariat. Many scientific papers, publications and events showcase RLE progress and application. Earlier this year, the RLE team published the Guidelines for the Application of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Categories and Criteria.

In addition to being a global standard for ecosystem risk assessment, the RLE is a tool to help define conservation action and improve development planning. There is increasing global demand for this type of tool as countries increasingly acknowledge the importance of healthy ecosystems to their citizens, economies and future. They are seeking policies, technologies and partnerships that can help protect and conserve these ecosystems. Indeed, healthy ecosystems can be a major contributor to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

The IUCN World Conservation Congress taking place this September in Hawai`i is a landmark opportunity to discuss further how the RLE can help design national policies and development plans that support conservation. A dozen events led by RLE experts will bring together leaders and decision makers from business, government and civil society to demonstrate how the RLE can help us protect the ecosystems that sustain us all and help us make the right choices to guide our planet towards a sustainable future. 

Interested in the Red List of Ecosystems? Got some amazing pictures from your time in nature – showing nature in its wild beauty or as part of a changing world? Submit them to the third Red List of Ecosystems Photo Contest! Deadline extended to the 8th of July 2016. Winners will be announced at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, September 2016.

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