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WCC 2012 Res 055 - Activity Report

Submitted by patrick.COMER on Sat, 09/24/2022 - 00:41
General Information
Consolidation of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems
IUCN Constituent: 
IUCN CEM Red List of Ecosystems Thematic Group 2021-2025
IUCN Constituent type: 
Period covered: 
2022
Geographic scope: 
North America and the Caribbean
Country/Territory: 
United States of America
In implementing this Resolution your organization has worked/consulted with...
IUCN Members: 
NatureServe / United States of America
IUCN Commissions: 
IUCN Commission on Ecosystems Management 2013-2016 (CEM)
IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management 2021-2025 (CEM)
IUCN Secretariat: 
No
Implementation
Indicate and briefly describe any actions that have been carried out to implement this Resolution: 
ActionDescriptionStatus
Scientific/technical activities Abstract The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) is an emerging global standard for ecosystem risk assessment that integrates data and knowledge to document the relative risk status of ecosystem types. Here, we summarize initial findings from applying four IUCN RLE criteria to 655 terrestrial ecosystems in temperate and tropical North America, or 8.5% of the global land surface. A series of indicators are measured for each criterion to address trends in ecosystem extent (A), the relative restricted nature of its distribution (B), and the extent and relative severity of environmental degradation (C), and the extent and relative severity of disruption of biotic processes (D); all to gauge the probability of range wide “collapse.” Ecosystems are listed as collapsed, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, near threatened, least concern, data deficient, or not evaluated. Taking uncertainty into account, 219 (33%) of terrestrial ecosystem types were listed as threatened (i.e., either critically endangered, [7%], endangered [14%], or vulnerable [13%]). Examples include tallgrass prairies, oak savannas, longleaf pine woodlands, floodplain forests, mesic hardwood forests, and dry tropical forests. Historically, these threatened ecosystems occurred across about 45% of the continental study area, and today account for about 30%. The RLE provides one important focus for prioritizing conservation effort. Completed
Scientific/technical activitiesextending experience of this red listing effort to data deficient ecosystem types in North America. Applying results to identification of Key Biodiversity Areas in Canad and USA.On-going
Identify and briefly describe what future actions are planned for the implementation of this Resolution: 
Additional Information
External link(s): 
Documenting at-risk status of terrestrial ecosystems in temperate and tropical North America