United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre Biodiversity Assessments and Indicators Kaveh Zahedi Acting Director UNEP-WCMC Working for a wiser world 25 years:

Working for a wiser world 25 years: Contents of Presentation  What is UNEP-WCMC?  UNEP-WCMC’s Work and Expertise.  Biodiversity Indicators.  Biodiversity Assessments. 

What is UNEP-WCMC? The biodiversity assessment & policy implementation arm of UNEP  Set up by IUCN.  Partnership between IUCN, WWF and UNEP in  Partnership between a UK Charity and UNEP since  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.

Working for a wiser world 25 years: 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) and national goals.

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.

Focal areaIndicators Status and trends of the components of biological diversity 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 useArea of forest, agriculture and aquaculture ecosystems under sustainable management Proportion of products derived from sustainable sources Ecological footprint and related concepts Threats to biodiversityNitrogen deposition Trends in invasive alien species 2010 Indicators Red – ready for immediate testing as approved by SBSTTA Black – further work needed

Focal areaIndicators Ecosystem integrity and ecosystem goods and services 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 Other indicator of the status of indigenous and traditional knowledge Status of access and benefits sharing Indicator of access and benefit-sharing Status of resource transfers ODA provided in support of the Convention Indicator of technology transfer 2010 Indicators

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

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 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 ( ), n=128

Ecosystems in Ecuador 2001

Landuse in Ecuador 2001 Others Shrimp farms African palm oil Rice Degraded areas Arboriculture Short-cycle crops Pasture land Natural area

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

Working for a wiser world 25 years: 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 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.

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