Ecosystems Redlist
Thematic Group Lead
Jon Paul Rodriguez, jonpaul@ivic.ve
During the present quadrennium (2009-2012) the Ecosystems Red List thematic group will focus primarily on fulfilling the mandate of Resolution 4.020 on “Quantitative thresholds for categories and criteria of threatened ecosystems,” adopted by the IUCN Membership during the IV World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, Spain (5-14 October 2008).
Our central activity will be to coordinate a consultation process leading to the development of a global standard for the assessment of ecosystem status, analogous to the very influential IUCN Red List for Threatened Species. The adoption of such a standardized system would facilitate globally comparable, repeatable geographic analyses that clearly separate ecosystem risk assessment (a fundamentally scientific process), from the definition of conservation priorities, which should take into account additional factors, such as ecological distinctiveness, costs, logistics, likelihood of success, and societal preferences.
