Richard Knight U W C

A traditional view was an area put aside for the preservation of organisms and their environment!

U W C Photo South African National Parks

U W C

Preserve habitats, ecosystems and species in as undisturbed state as possible Ia: The Strict Nature Reserve/Wilderness areas Objective: Dassen Island and the Prince Edward Islands

U W C II: National Park Objective: Protect for scientific, educational, recreational or tourist purposes West Coast National Park

U W C III: Natural Monument: Protected Area Objective: Based on a specific natural/cultural or unique representational significance Kirstenbosch and Tienie Versveld

U W C IV: Habitat/Species Management Area Objective: Maintain a habitat for protection of significant species/ group of species or special physical Features - Maanschynkop, Hermanus

U W C V: Protected Landscape/Seascape Objective: Protect harmonious interaction of nature and culture Abe Bailey Nature Reserve Gauteng (Carletonville)

U W C IX: Biosphere Reserve Objective: Integrate protected areas within a landscape of other economic activities Transitional Buffer Core Kogelberg & West Coast

U W C X: World Heritage Site Objective: Protect for scientific, educational, recreational or tourist purposes Robben Island & Table Mountain

U W C Richtersveld / Ai-Ais Gariep Kgalagadi (Kalahari) Limpopo/Shashe Kruger/ Banhine-Zinave Gonarezhou Maputaland Maloti/ Drakensberg

U W C Peace Parks- a Transfrontier conservation area Objective: Promote regional co-operation, job creation and biodiversity conservation Recently Proclaimed Kalahari Park South African National Parks

U W C A protected area that is co-operatively managed by Local Communities and a State Organization Objective: Protect natural resources and preserve cultural lifestyles of indigenous people Richtersveld National Park South African National Parks - Nigel Dennis

South Africa's World Heritage Sites: World Heritage Sites recognise and protect areas of outstanding natural, historical and cultural value. Given South Africa's diverse culture and history and her spectacular natural resources and wildlife, it is not surprising that she boasts 7 World Heritage Sites. Cultural » Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, and Environs (1999) » Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape (2003) » Robben Island (1999) Mixed » UKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park (2000) Natural » Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (2004) » Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park (1999) » Vredefort Dome (2005) World Heritage Sites South Africa

U W C KZN National Parks

U W C

Fernkloof Cliff paths Vogelgat Maan schyn kop Walker Bay

U W C

IUCN maintains threatened species lists since 1950s. “Red Data Books” popularized in 1960s: birds & mammals. “Information explosion” in 1990s: Europe: 3,562 known red lists. South Africa – maintained by SANBI countries have produced RL for at least one taxon ( Species assigned to categories on the basis of quantitative criteria and thresholds. Separation of risk assessment (scientific) from definition of conservation priorities (societal process).

Thresholds Critically endangered Endangered Vulnerable Population decline Small range: fragmented / decline / fluctuation Very small or restricted population Quantitative assessment Reproductive population small and declining

Weighting system Conservation priorities Extinction Risk Logistical Factors Economic Factors Societal Values Distributional Factors Other Factors (legal, institutional, etc.) Biological Factors Analysis, studies, choices, politics, land use etc

 Abundant experience with red list categories for species. Red list “explosion” world-wide (> 100 countries have applied them).  Increased capability of geographical information systems:  more powerful and inexpensive computers.  cheaper and more user-friendly software packages (Quantum and DIVA GIS– free and WebGIS).  Increased availability of remotely-sensed data, covering years.

 May more effectively represent biodiversity as a whole than individual species.  Ecosystem loss more apparent than species loss: clean water, food, fuel – service losses  More time-efficient than species-by-species assessments (<3% species evaluated by IUCN).  Ecosystem loss and degradation might precede species declines (e.g. extinction debt).  Combined with species Red List, more powerful assessment of biodiversity status.

 Gov. of W. Australia: quantitative categories & criteria for threatened ecosystems, also Victoria.  S. African National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act: identification of over 200 threatened ecosystems. (Critical Biodiversity Areas and Ecosystem Support Areas  Austria, Germany, Finland, Norway & partially in other EU states (based on NATURA 2000, EUNIS). Venezuela, Senegal (draft); and  Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru in process  EC tender for Red List of Habitats for Europe process

 Consolidation of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems:  Formal adoption of RLE categories and criteria.  Formal allocation of funds/staff.  Global assessment of ecosystems.  Provision of support to national assessments.  View RLS and RLE as an integrated tool (also with other IUCN key Knowledge Products).

I.What is an ecosystem? II.When is an ecosystem “extinct”? –Disappearance, transformation or collapse? III.How to assess ecosystem change? –distribution –function

No global classification (but maybe getting nearer), ecosystems may be defined at various scales (raindrop to biosphere) ~WWF EcoRegions, GLC2000 Approach: i) Adopt widey accepted conceptual definition (Tansley 1935, Odum) ii) Develop a risk assessment method applicable to any classification (national, regional) iii) Promote development of a global ecosystem classification iv) Require documented ecosystem descriptions as part of each risk assessment

Conceptual definition (4 key elements, Tansley 1935 ) 1. characteristic assemblage of biota 2. associated physical environment 3. processes & interactions between components  among biota  between biota & environment 4. Spatial extent Description template (operational) Classification (IUCN habitats, etc) 1.List defining biotic features 2.Identify defining abiotic features 3.Describe key ecosystem drivers 4.Maps (time series, projections) –past, present, future

 Specific set of ecosystems that can be nested (local, national, global) use of different schemes – c.f. NatureServe (Classification & Description of World Formation Types); EUNIS  Nesting into administrative & other means of dividing – e.g. overall major ecosystem types in a country, or a district, or land/water use  Trade-offs between conceptual definitions & practical reality!  We respect & will use national ecosystem classifications, but will seek to nest them

NatureServe

Coming to Global consensus on Ecosystems – but not there yet!

RISK – the probability of a bad outcome over a specified time frame Define the bad outcome  An endpoint to ecosystem decline  Ecosystems rarely disappear or go “extinct” ( cf. species ) Exception Maldives  “Collapse”: transformation of identity, loss of defining features (characteristic biota & function), replacement by a novel ecosystem (e.g. invasives, agriculture, plantation)

RISK – the probability of a bad outcome over a specified time frame Specify the time frame for assessing change II. The concept of risk long enough to detect trends, short enough to inform action, long enough to consider lags & debts –past, present, future

III. Assessing ecosystem change Guiding principles for design of a protocol Evidence-based risk assessment using all available data & information Transparent derivation from relevant ecological theories Generic concepts and methods adaptable across a range of organisational & spatial scales and all ecological domains –terrestrial, freshwater, marine, subterranean Logically consistent with IUCN Red List criteria for species

Risk model for ecosystems: threats to defining features (distribution, biota & function) multiple mechanisms (causes of threat) 4 symptoms (of decline) = 4 criteria plus one overarching criterion (probability of collapse) Threatening processes Risk of loss of characteristic native biota A Declining distribution C Environmt’l degradation D Altered biotic processes Ecosystem distribution Ecosystem function B Small distribution E Quantitative risk analysis

Collapse Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable Near Threatened Least Concern Data Deficient Not Evaluated NE CO CR EN VU NT LC DD Threatened