Transcript Biodiversity Assessments and Indicators

Working for a wiser world
25 years: 1979-2004
United Nations Environment Programme
World Conservation Monitoring Centre
Biodiversity Assessments
and Indicators
Kaveh Zahedi
Acting Director UNEP-WCMC
Contents of Presentation
 What is UNEP-WCMC?
 UNEP-WCMC’s Work and
Expertise.
 Biodiversity Indicators.
 Biodiversity Assessments.
 2005-2006.
Working for a wiser world
25 years: 1979-2004
What is UNEP-WCMC?
The biodiversity assessment &
policy implementation arm of UNEP
 Set up by IUCN.
 Partnership between IUCN, WWF and
UNEP in 1988.
 Partnership between a UK Charity and
UNEP since 2000.
 25 years as a Centre of excellence in
biodiversity data, information, assessment and
policy.
Mission:
To place authoritative biodiversity knowledge
at the centre of decision-making.
UNEP-WCMC’s Work and Expertise
Data: house and maintain core datasets on
ecosystems and protected areas to enable
long-term monitoring and development of key
indicators.
Indicators & Assessments: monitor, analyse
and report the state of biodiversity, assess
trends and provide early warning of emerging
threats.
Policy: support development and
implementation of policies and practices
relevant to biodiversity.
Partnership and Capacity Building: build partnership and capacity to
assess biodiversity (including indicators), implement policy and
mobilise information in support of international objectives (e.g. 2010)
Working for a wiser world
and national goals.
25 years: 1979-2004
Framework for Indicators
Millennium Development Goals:
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability.
UNEP-WCMC providing one of the six indicators
identified to monitor progress (Ratio of area
protected to surface area).
WSSD Plan of Implementation:
Endorsed the 2010 targets and indicators.
Convention on Biological Diversity:
Identified 2010 as key date to achieve significant
reduction in rate of loss of biological diversity;
identified range of indicators for assessing
progress towards 2010; GBO primary mechanism
for delivery of indicators. UNEP-WCMC
supporting the CBD Secretariat on 2010
indicators & the GBO.
2010 Indicators
Focal area
Status and trends of the
components of biological
diversity
Indicators
Trends in extent of selected biomes, ecosystems and habitats
Trends in abundance and distribution of selected species
Coverage of protected areas
Change in status of threatened species
Trends in genetic diversity of domesticated animals, cultivated
plants, and fish species of major socio-economic importance
Sustainable use
Area of forest, agriculture and aquaculture ecosystems under
sustainable management
Proportion of products derived from sustainable sources
Ecological footprint and related concepts
Threats to biodiversity
Nitrogen deposition
Trends in invasive alien species
Red – ready for immediate testing as approved by SBSTTA
Black – further work needed
2010 Indicators
Focal area
Ecosystem integrity and
ecosystem goods and
services
Indicators
Marine trophic index
Water quality in aquatic ecosystems
Trophic integrity of other ecosystems
Connectivity and fragmentation of ecosystems
Incidence of human-induced ecosystem failure
Health and well-being of communities who depend directly on local
ecosystem goods and services
Biodiversity for food and medicine
Status of traditional
knowledge, innovations
and practices
Status and trends of linguistic diversity and numbers of speakers of
indigenous languages
Status of access and
benefits sharing
Indicator of access and benefit-sharing
Status of resource
transfers
ODA provided in support of the Convention
Other indicator of the status of indigenous and traditional knowledge
Indicator of technology transfer
2010 Indicators “Stakeholders”
Protected Areas
Summary:
The World Database on Protected Areas
(WDPA) is the most compre-hensive
dataset on protected areas worldwide. It
is managed by UNEP-WCMC in
partnership with the IUCN World
Commission on Protected Areas
(WCPA) and the WDPA Consortium.
The WDPA is a fully relational database
containing information on the status,
environment and management of
individual protected areas.
The data in the WDPA is used to support
a number of global and regional
assessments, including: the UN List,
GEO, GBO, WRR, MA, MDG etc.
Growth in Protected Areas
Cumulative Growth in Protected Areas by 5 Year Increment
Number of sites
18,000,000
90,000
16,000,000
80,000
14,000,000
70,000
12,000,000
60,000
10,000,000
50,000
8,000,000
40,000
6,000,000
30,000
20,000
4,000,000
10,000
2,000,000
0
0
1872
1887
1902
1917
1932
1947
Year
1962
1977
1992
2003
Area (km 2)
Number of sites
Area of sites
100,000
Living Planet Index
Summary:
The Living Planet Index (LPI) is an
indicator of the state of the world’s
biodiversity: it measures trends in
populations of vertebrate species
living in terrestrial, freshwater, and
marine ecosystems around the
world.
The LPI is the average of three
separate indices measuring changes
in abundance of 555 terrestrial
species, 323 freshwater species, and
267 marine species.
Partners:
WWF.
Living Planet Index 2004
The terrestrial species index
shows a decline of about 30 per cent between
1970 and 2000 in 555 species of mammals,
birds, and reptiles living in terrestrial
ecosystems.
The freshwater species index
shows a decline of approximately 50 per cent
from 1970 to 2000 in 323 vertebrate species
found in rivers, lakes, and wetland
ecosystems.
The marine species index shows a
decline of about 30 per cent from 1970 to
2000 in 267 species of mammals, birds,
reptiles, and fish occurring in the world’s
ocean and coastal ecosystems.
Biodiversity Trends and Threats in Europe
Objectives:
Undertake a trial to develop a species
population trend indicator for
evaluating progress towards the 2010
biodiversity target in Europe.
Summary:
Trial indicator shows a decline of
species in nearly all habitats, the
largest being in farmland, where
species populations declined by 23%
between 1970 and 2000.
Partners:
RIVM, EEA, Defra (UK), Swiss Agency
for the Environment, Forests and
Landscape.
Species Decline in Europe
Biodiversity Indicators for National Use
Objectives:
To develop operational national-level
biodiversity indicators to support
planning and decision-making.
To support global and regional
development of indicators of biological
diversity under the CBD.
Pilot Countries:
Ecuador, Kenya, Philippines, Ukraine.
Partners:
GEF, Swiss Agency for the
Environment, Defra, DFID.
Wild Species Trends in Ukraine
Based on Expert Evaluation (1950-2003), n=128
Ecosystems in Ecuador
2001
Landuse in Ecuador
2001
Natural area
Pasture land
Short-cycle crops
Arboriculture
Degraded areas
Rice
African palm oil
Shrimp farms
Others
iMaps
Summary:
iMaps provides online
access to
environmental
information on
protected and sensitive
areas, species
distribution and socio
economic data.
The imaps tool
enables partners to
tailor information held
on UNEP-WCMC’s
databases to their
particular needs.
Global Assessments of Biodiversity and
Ecosystems
Global policy relevant assessments undertaken using a variety of
biodiversity assessment frameworks depending on the target audience
and assessment process (e.g. ecosystem approach, DPSIR etc).
World Atlas Series
Biodiversity Information Series
Other Collaborative Assessments
2005 - 2006 Indicator & Assessment work
 Continue to focus on global 2010
indicators, in coordination with the
Secretariat of the CBD.
 Continue the national indicators work
(along the lines of BINU) within the
framework of the 2010. Apply lessons
learnt from Europe to other regions.
 Finalise global assessments underway
including GBO, GEO (biodiversity
chapter), Marine and Coastal summary of
the MA etc. and contribute to others like
the GMA, SEAs etc.
 Build national capacity in biodiversity
data management, indicators,
assessment and policy in line with the
Bali strategic plan.
Working for a wiser world
25 years: 1979-2004
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