REDUCING RISK OF EXTINCTION
2. Conservation status of threatened species improved
towards extinction, with cycads, amphibians and particularly corals declining most rapidly. Globally, between 2000 and 2020 the Red List Index has declined by almost 9%. Declines have also occurred in all regions, ranging from 3.3% in North America and Europe to 10.5% in Central and Southern Asia (Figure 12.1).5
The proportion of species threatened with extinction averages 23.7% across comprehensively assessed taxonomic groups, ranging from 7.5% for selected families of bony fishes, to 14% of birds, 26%
of mammals, 30% of sharks and rays, 33% of reef-forming corals, 34% of conifers, 36% of selected families of dicots (magnolias and cacti), 41% of amphibians, and 63% of cycads (Figure 12.2).6 In all, out of 120,372 species assessed for the IUCN Red List, a total of 32,441 species (27%) are listed as threatened with extinction. However, only about 5%
of described species have been evaluated.
The Living Planet Index (LPI), is a sensitive indicator of changes in species abundance tracking trends for almost 21,000 surveyed populations of over 4,300 vertebrate species. Overall, the index showed an average decline of 68% between 1970 and 2016, with 95% confidence that the decline was between 62% and 73%.7 This means that, on average (using a geometric mean), vertebrate species populations worldwide are approximately under one-third the size they were in 1970. For freshwater species, the index is less than one-fifth of the 1970 level. At a regional level, the LPI has declined the most, compared to 1970 levels, in Latin America and the Caribbean (94% since 1970) driven by very negative trends in reptiles, amphibians and fish.8 The decline in other regions since 1970 is: 33% in North America, 24% in Europe and Central Asia, 65% in Africa and 45% in Asia and the Pacific.9
1 2
Figure 12.1.Trends in Red List Index at global and regional levels.
2002 2001
2000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Global Northern America and Europe Western Asia and Northern Africa Oceania
Latin America and the Caribbean Sub-Saharan Africa Eastern and South-eastern Asia Central and Southern Asia
Red List Index of species survival
0.8
0.6 0.7 0.9 1
A Red List Index value of 1 equates to all species within a group qualifying as Least Concern (i.e., not expected to become extinct in the near future). An index value of 0 equates to all species having gone extinct. Values for 2020 are projections. Regional indices weight each species by the fraction of its range within the region, and therefore show the degree to which species are being conserved within a region relative to its potential contribution to global conservation of species.10
Status
RELEVANT SDG TARGET
Target 15.5 - Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species
Target 15.7 - Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products
Figure 12.2. Proportion of species in different extinction risk categories on the IUCN Red List across different taxonomic groups.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Cycads Amphibians Selected Dicots Selected Reptiles Conifers Reef-forming Corals Sharks, Rays
& Chimaeras Selected Crustaceans Mammals Birds Selected Bony Fishes Selected Gastropods Cephalopods
Extinct in the Wild Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable Data Deficient Near Threatened Least Concern 3,147
633
10,988 5,815 2,878 1,134 845 610
2,407 342 TOTAL EXTANT species assessed
Proportion of extant species
6,857 307 750
The red line indicates the total proportion of threatened species (assuming that data deficient species are as threatened as those with adequate data).11
Figure 12.3. The Living Planet Index (LPI) showing trends for 2000-2016 for all ecosystems (global), and separately for marine, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.
2002
2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
2000 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Index value (2000=1)
Global Terrestrial Freshwater Marine
The Index is calculated relative to 2000 levels.12
89 Strategic Goal C: Target 12 – Reducing risk of extinction
Jane Rix / Shutterstock
Looking at the more recent trend since 2000, the Living Planet Index has fallen by just under one-third overall (32%), with freshwater species populations continuing to decline the most (44%), followed by terrestrial species populations (39%), and marine species populations (8%). The recent trend shows overall rates of decline similar to those observed since 1970, with recent terrestrial declines faster than the long-term average, and the recent
marine decline somewhat slower, but with a high level of uncertainty (Figure 12.3).
There have been significant efforts over the decade to take action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species (as called for by SDG 15.7). The poaching of both elephants and rhinoceroses has consistently declined since 2011, as have the prices paid for tusks and horns.
However, the quantity of pangolin scales seized
Box 12.1. Examples of national experiences and progress
ɠ Japan: The endangered Japanese crested ibis had disappeared from most of its original range.
In order to help conserve the species, captive-bred birds have been released and habitat improvements have been promoted on Sado Island. As a result, the number of birds in the wild rose to 286 by March 2018, and chicks are being born in the wild.13
ɠ Malawi: The Mulanje cedar is highly prized species because of its aromatic wood and is resistant to termites and fungal disease. It is important to the livelihoods of many rural communities, but Critically Endangered. The Mulanje Cedar Ecological Restoration Project is a community-based initiative to replant thousands of hectares of the species. The project will also develop a consensus-based management plan to coordinate appropriate conservation and restoration actions, to sustain the populations of the cedar and ensure its sustainable use. As part of the project the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust has been providing knowledge and improving horticultural methods for cedar restoration.14
ɠ Pakistan:The Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program aims to improve the conservation status of the snow leopard by improving the management and condition of the Himalayan ecosystem. The project employs a landscape approach which, among other things, ensures the conservation of key biodiversity areas, creates buffer zones and corridors, supports the sustainable use of resources and improves the livelihoods of local communities. The project also promotes the sustainable management of alpine pastures and forests. Other species that are likely to benefit from the project are the Himalayan lynx, brown bear and Indian wolf.15
ɠ Paraguay: The jaguar is under pressure from habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict. The Jaguar Conservation Strategy aims to better understand the behaviour, ecology and habitat patterns of jaguar populations through monitoring, and to reduce the incidence of human-wildlife conflicts.
Camera traps have been installed to improve monitoring and a number of low-cost mitigation techniques, including the installation of mobile LED lights and electric fences, as well as hanging bells from the necks of cattle, were identified and found to be effective in reducing conflicts.16
91 Strategic Goal C: Target 12 – Reducing risk of extinction
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
The colour bars show the percentage of Parties reporting a given level of progress towards their national targets. (Blue: exceeds target; Green: on track; Yellow: some progress; Red: no change;
Purple: moving away from target). The intensity of the colour indicates alignment of national targets with the Aichi Target (Darker colours indicate close alignment).
Assessment of progress towards national targets
has increased 10-fold in just five years, while the trade in ‘red ivory’ derived from the casques of helmeted hornbills has been increasing in recent years. Further new markets, such as the trafficking of European glass eels, have emerged in the wake of strengthened control.17
Most NBSAPs (86%) contain targets related to Aichi Biodiversity Target 12. However, only about a fifth of Parties (21%) have national targets with a scope and level of ambition similar to the global target. Of the Parties that have assessed progress,
more than a third are on track to reach (36%) or exceed (2%) their national targets. Another half (52%) have made progress towards their targets but not at a rate that will allow them to be met. Several Parties (10%) report that they are making no progress towards the target or that they are moving away from the target (1%). Only 7% of reporting Parties have national targets of similar scope and ambition to Aichi Biodiversity Target 12 and are on track to meet them (see bar chart).
Wan Punkaunkhao / Shutterstock