Testing a global standard for quantifying species recovery and assessing conservation impact

Area of Science:

• Conservation Biology
• Ecology
• Biodiversity Assessment

Background:

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) initiated the development of the "Green List of Species" (now IUCN Green Status of Species) to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact.
• A 2018 draft framework proposed assessing species recovery status and estimating conservation impacts using metrics like conservation legacy, dependence, gain, and recovery potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the IUCN Green Status framework's applicability across diverse species and biomes.
• To propose species recovery categories based on empirical data and refine the assessment of conservation impacts.

Main Methods:

• Applied a standardized method measuring species viability, functionality, and pre-impact distribution to determine recovery scores for 181 diverse species.
• Analyzed relationships between extinction risk (IUCN Red List categories) and species recovery scores, as well as conservation impact metrics.

Main Results:

• Fifty-nine percent of tested species were classified as largely or critically depleted, indicating significant conservation challenges.
• Species recovery status was found to be conceptually distinct from extinction risk, with considerable variation observed.
• Conservation is projected to impact the status of the vast majority of species, with only 1.7% showing no conservation relevance across all metrics.

Conclusions:

• The IUCN Green Status of Species framework provides a valuable tool for understanding species conservation status beyond extinction risk.
• An updated framework incorporates a dynamic baseline for short-term impact assessment (10 years) and refines conservation planning alignment.
• The study underscores the critical role of ongoing and future conservation actions in improving and maintaining species' status.