Global Biodiversity Indicators Workshop, Zoological Society of London (25-29 April 2006)

Sampled Red List Index Development Workshop - 25 & 26 April 2006

The Sample Red List Index (SRLI) is one of the headline biodiversity indicators for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) target of significantly reducing the current rate of loss of biodiversity by 2010. The IUCN SRLI will measure trends in extinction risk of a large number of taxonomic groups, broadly representative of biodiversity.

The workshop focused on SRLI methodological issues that required further development. The main issues were identifying an acceptable minimum sample size for the taxonomic groups in the index, the best approaches for aggregating the index, various analyses and indices that can be generated from the SRLI and simple methods for communicating the index. Based on a number of simulations on the existing vertebrate data, 1500 species was identified as an appropriate minimum sample size. For aggregating the index it was agreed that each taxonomic group will be weighted equally and the mean index values will be used for aggregating all species.

Various other indices were identified at the workshop, which could be developed from the SRLI, including those with importance to global biodiversity such as an index of exploited species or those threatened by invasive species. New ideas of presenting and communicating the index to policy makers were generated and alternative names for the SRLI were suggested.

The output from this workshop is available in an IUCN SRLI Methods Development Document. This document is currently being developed into a scientific paper which will be discussed at the second IUCN SRLI development workshop being held at the Zoological Society of London in September 2006.

Living Planet Index Workshop - 27 April 2006

The Living Planet Index (LPI) is a periodic update on the changing state of the world's biodiversity derived from trends in populations of hundreds of vertebrate species over the past 30 years. The LPI has been adopted by the CBD as an indicator of the state of global biodiversity, to help assess whether or not it has achieved its target of reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. A workshop involving experts from the NGO community and a number of academic institutions was convened by the Institute of Zoology to explore ways of developing the LPI into a useful tool for policy makers and conservationists and to ensure that results of the Index are scientifically robust.

A key focus of the Workshop was to examine how successfully the LPI represents the state of biodiversity. A number of methods were identified to help ensure that the data are not unduly biased towards certain populations, species or habitats and that the correct statistical analyses will be employed. These methods will now be trialed and the results will be fed back to the working group for discussion.

Several possible new analyses and indices were identified using LPI data, such as a comparison of trends of populations impacted by habitat loss over time and the impact of protected areas on population numbers. The group also recommended the inclusion of population data for plants and invertebrates to expand the LPI's taxonomic coverage. New partnership opportunities were identified and relationships with likeminded organizations will be developed over the coming months to expand the information feeding into the LPI.

A scientific paper describing the progress and development strategy of the LPI will now be produced. The Living Planet Index is published by WWF and can be accessed online at www.wwf.org/livingplanet/.

Site-Based Indicators Development Workshop - 28 April 2006

Current global indicators of species population trends emphasize data compilation rather than design and/or integration of monitoring programs for data collection, and are thus constrained by biases, discontinuities and
incompatibilities among available data sources. These limitations reflect a need for a site-based approach to monitoring species population trends to complement existing data collection activities and ensure provision of compatible, spatially and taxonomically representative data to support indicators of global progress towards the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) target of reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

The aim of the workshop was to develop a global site-based monitoring scheme and indicator of species population trends. An approach for selecting sites representative across biogeographic realms and biomes was discussed, using the WWF Living Planet Index database in combination with a 'gap-filling' process, which would encourage new monitoring initiatives to fill gaps in global coverage. A national-level implementation plan was recommended to encourage participation, coordination, and commitment of both governments and the CBD in assessing global and national biodiversity trends.

A layered monitoring scheme was outlined to accommodate varying levels of financial and technical resources across sites and address varying ease of trend detection among taxonomic groups. The feasibility of using camera trapping as a basis for a standardized global site-based monitoring scheme and indicator of species population trends was also explored. Camera trapping is well-suited for standardization across disparate sites and for reporting geared towards policy makers and members of the public.

A second workshop will be held in early June at the Zoological Society of London to refine a development plan for a large-scale camera trapping strategy and biodiversity indicator in time for the 2010 deadline and beyond. Further analysis to identify an appropriate sampling effort for acceptable data reliability across species, development of digital applications, and development of strategies for the statistical treatment of camera trapping data were recommended to advance the proposed scheme.

The organizers would like to thank NERC, Imperial College, and the Zoological Society of London for making these workshops possible.

Posted: 01 May 2006

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