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Toward monitoring global biodiversity

  1. Jonathan E. M. Baillie1,
  2. Ben Collen1,
  3. Rajan Amin1,
  4. H. Resit Akcakaya2,
  5. Stuart H. M. Butchart3,
  6. Neil Brummitt4,
  7. Thomas R. Meagher5,
  8. Mala Ram1,
  9. Craig Hilton-Taylor6,
  10. Georgina M. Mace7

Article first published online: 4 JUL 2008

DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00009.x

Issue

Conservation Letters

Conservation Letters

Volume 1, Issue 1, pages 18–26, April 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Baillie, J. E. M., Collen, B., Amin, R., Akcakaya, H. R., Butchart, S. H. M., Brummitt, N., Meagher, T. R., Ram, M., Hilton-Taylor, C. and Mace, G. M. (2008), Toward monitoring global biodiversity. Conservation Letters, 1: 18–26. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00009.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK

  2. 2

    Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA

  3. 3

    BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 0NA, UK

  4. 4

    Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK

  5. 5

    School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK

  6. 6

    IUCN Species Programme, UK Office, 219c Huntingdon, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, UK

  7. 7

    NERC Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot, Berks SL5 7PY, UK

*Correspondence Jonathan E. M. Baillie, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK. Tel: +44(0)2074496632; fax: +44(0)2075862870. E-mail: jonathan.baillie@ioz.ac.uk

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 4 JUL 2008
  2. Article first published online: 4 JUL 2008
  3. Received: 10 February 2008; accepted 11 February 2008

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Keywords:

  • IUCN;
  • red list index;
  • declining species;
  • threatened species;
  • extinction risk;
  • conservation status;
  • biodiversity indicators;
  • monitoring biodiversity;
  • global assessments

Abstract

The world's governments have identified reducing the rate of biodiversity loss as a global priority. However, we lack robust measures of progress toward this target. Developing indicators that are generally representative of trends in global biodiversity has presented the scientific community with a significant challenge. Here we discuss the development and implementation of the IUCN Red List Index with a new sampled approach, permitting the assessment of the conservation status and trends of large, speciose taxonomic groups. This approach is based on the IUCN Red List and measures trends in extinction risk through time. The challenges in developing this new approach are addressed, including determining the species groups to be included in the index, identifying the minimum adequate samples size, and aggregating and weighting the index. Implementing this approach will greatly increase understanding of the status of the world's biodiversity by 2010, enabling the first assessment of a number of key groups.

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