Elizabeth Kennedy

8/14/2019 Elizabeth Kennedy

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Monitoring for ConservationMonitoring for ConservationPlanning and ManagementPlanning and Management

Environmental Evaluators ForumEnvironmental Evaluators Forum

EPA Headquarters, USAEPA Headquarters, USA

June 14 15, 2007June 14 15, 2007


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Key Types of Decisions

Prioritization (where to allocate scarce

conservation resources)Evaluation (which conservation actions result inconservation outcomes under whatcircumstances)Intervention selection (understanding thedynamics of threats, actions and opportunities)

Status

Context Assessment

Effectiveness


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What do we know about the

status of biodiversity?IUCN Red List - Currently, ~15,589 species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction

One in eight bird speciesOne in four mammal speciesOne in three amphibian species

Millennium Ecosystem AssessmentSubstantial gaps in information about the status andtrends of biodiversity at local, national, regional, andglobal scales.


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A Practical Way ForwardA Practical Way Forward

Status MonitoringStatus Monitoring

The NGO community united to support the Parties tothe CBD in measuring the reduction in rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.We proposed a suite of scalable indicators that canapply at local, national, regional and global scales.

The suite of indicators represents practical

measures of biodiversity status and trends that canbe applied in the near term.

The NGO proposal was convergent with other documents before the Parties.


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Proposed Indicators NGOs couldhelp deliver for CBD reporting on2010 Target

Red List Index Changes in habitat cover

Extent Fragmentation

Protected area coverage and category for important areas for biodiversity


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Targeting investmentsTargeting investmentswithin Biodiversitywithin Biodiversity

Hotspots and HighHotspots and HighBiodiversity WildernessBiodiversity WildernessAreasAreas


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PRIORITIES: DefiningPRIORITIES: Definingconservation targetsconservation targetsin Hotspots and Wilderness Areasin Hotspots and Wilderness Areas

Avoid SpeciesExtincti

ons

Protect Key

Biodiver sity

Areas

Consolidat e

Biodiversit y

Conservati on

BiosphereG e n es Species S i te sSea/Landscapes

INCREASING SCALE OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATIONINCREASING SCALE OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION


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Collaboration inCollaboration inMonitoringMonitoring

Biodiversity monitoring platformsare systematized by:

Identifying key stakeholders with defined technicalroles & responsibilities

Further standardizing complementarymethodologies

Building centralized & compatible data housing andanalysis infrastructures

Developing collaborative dissemination efforts(workshops, publications)

Collaborative fundraising strategies directed atbiodiversity conservation targets


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Scales of monitoring andreporting

Hotspot

Country 1 Country 2 Country 3

KBA 1 KBA 1 KBA 2KBA 2 KBA 1KBA 2

Increase inspatial extent of data/information

Increase inresolution/detail of data/information

Regional trends identify gaps inconservation priorities at finer scales as well informs decisionmaking

Standard & compatible localdata required to manageadaptively and facilitatereporting regional and globaltrends.
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CIEnterprise

WBDB

Partner

Partner Partner

Partner

BirdLife IBAsE x

c h

an

g e

pr

o t o c o

l s E x c h a n g e

p r o t o c o l s

IUCN RedList

A n n u a l

u p d a t e U p d a t e s

Database Interactions

WorldDatabase on

ProtectedAreas

E x c h a n g e p r o t o c o l s

PUBLIC

Publications


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MONITORING: StatusMONITORING: Statusand Trends inand Trends inBiodiversity withinBiodiversity withinHotspots and HBWAsHotspots and HBWAs

Strengthening the relationshipbetween local data collection and

large-scale data representationthrough standardized regional

biodiversity monitoring


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Monitoring progressMonitoring progress

towards safeguardingtowards safeguardingconservation targetsconservation targetsTracks the degree and direction of broad scale trends in biodiversity atthree levels of ecological

organization1) Species, 2) Sites, 3) Land andSeascapes

Acquires and aggregates biodiversity

information to report at national,regional and global spatial scales.

Outcomes monitoring provides breadth in data outputs


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SPECIES TARGETS:SPECIES TARGETS: Change inChange inIUCN Red List status of speciesIUCN Red List status of species

RED LIST INDEX

Measures the relativerate at which thenumber of species ineach IUCN Red listcategory change bytracking genuinechange in extinction

risk between Red listassessments0.93

0.94

0.95

0.96

0.97

0.98

0.99

1.00

1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 Year of IUCN Asse ssm ent

R e d L i s t I n d e x

Birds Amphibians Mammals

Change in the threatened status of species in Madagascar Change in the threatened status of species in Madagascar


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010

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Year of Protected Area Establishment

T o t a l %

o f K B A s a n d A Z E s i t e s w

i t h f o r m a l

p r o t e c t i o n s t a t u s

KBAs (n=141) AZE sites (n=7)

SITE TARGETS:SITE TARGETS: Change in number of Change in number of Key Biodiversity Areas with protectionKey Biodiversity Areas with protectionStatus, including Alliance for Zero ExtinctionStatus, including Alliance for Zero ExtinctionSitesSites

72 of 141 KBAs, or 51% of KBAs, benefitfrom official safeguardstatus in the Southwest

China Hotspot.

28% of AZE (Alliancefor Zero Extinction)sites, Gaoligong ShanNature Reserve and Wang Lang NatureReserve .

A total of 69 KBAspresently lack formalprotection status. Change in % KBAs and AZE sites with legal protection

status in the Southwest China Hotspot


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SITE TARGETS:SITE TARGETS: Change in forestChange in forestcover extent in Key Biodiversitycover extent in Key Biodiversity

Areas, including AZE sitesAreas, including AZE sites

Change in % of forest cover extent within KBAs and AZEsites between 1975 and 2000 in Madagascar.

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

1975 1990 2000

Year

P r o p o r t

i o n o

f F o r e s

t C o v e r

(

AZE Protected KBAs Unprotected KBAs All KBAsFine-resolution,low-cost satellitedata can be

analyzed totrack habitatchange in sitesof globalbiodiversitysignificance.


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Change in % of forest cover extent within KBAs and AZEsites between 1975 and 2000 in Madagascar.


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Utility of StatusUtility of Status

MonitoringMonitoringREPORTING:

Report commitment to safeguarding species, sites andlandscapes of global biodiversity significance.

Evaluate progress and contributions towards theConvention on Biological Diversity 2010 target of significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity loss.


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Utility of StatusUtility of Status

MonitoringMonitoring

DECISION MAKING:

Influence government level policy and legislation decisionmaking

Enable adaptive management for biodiversity conservationthrough refinement of conservation strategies at the regional

scale.

Act as a biodiversity information platform to guide investmenttowards priority species, sites and landscapes.


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Key Types of Decisions

Prioritization (where to allocate scarceconservation resources)Evaluation (which conservation actions result inconservation outcomes under whatcircumstances)

Intervention selection (understanding thedynamics of threats, actions and opportunities)


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Effectiveness Monitoring

Focus is on evaluating EFFECTIVENESS of a givenintervention

Linked to changes in status of conservation target atscale of interventionAbatement of threatsDegree of implementation

Report at the intervention scale

Roll up to evaluate intervention type

Adaptive Management


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Nesting of Status and

Effectiveness monitoring

Help refine intervention planningstrategies and identify appropriateinterventions

Help refine regional conservationstrategies

Support intervention reporting effortsSupport institutional, portfolio, multi-lateral and global reporting efforts

Inform decision making and adaptivemanagement for individual interventionsor intervention types

Inform decision making atinstitutional, regional, national andinvestment portfolio levels

Individual investment successNational, Regional and Globaltrends

Effectiveness MonitoringStatus Monitoring


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Added Value of nestedapproach

Linking intervention with changes in status of conservation targetsAdaptive management at scale of interventionUnderstand how interventions work (when andwhere)Validate assumptions in conservation actionAbility to report success of individualinvestment


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Remaining Gaps - Technical

Terrestrial habitat types other than forest cover Measures of marine habitat extent andfragmentation (working on ecological integrityindex)Methods to aggregate measurement of threats /

pressures


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Additional Gaps

CulturalFocus is on doing rather than knowing what works

best under what circumstances because of fundingclimatePerception that monitoring is expensive (resourceconstraints)

CapacitySkill and knowledgeTimeFunding


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Documents

Elizabeth Kennedy