Story | 04 May, 2018

PLOS ONE commemorates its tenth anniversary

PLOS ONE celebrated last year its tenth anniversary, and chose “Scientific Foundations of an IUCN Red List of Ecosystems” as one of the most influential documents of the decade.

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Photo: Radim Schreiber

Taking into account the limited access to scientific research resources, and the possibility of a budget cut in the context of a climatic change, the multidisciplinary magazine PLOS ONE celebrated it's 10th anniversary emphasizing the value of its most influential articles during the last decade on three current themes: climatic change research, conservation science and world health.

It has been accepted that climate change will have a significant impact on plant diversity, habitat loss, protected areas and on the potential for climate adaptation of species in global ecosystems. However, biodiversity plays a key role in providing natural services such as biological resources and social benefits. In this context, PLOS ONE recognized the relevance of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems by highlighting the "Scientific Foundations of an IUCN Red List of Ecosystems" by Keith et al. (2013). The objective of this document is to support the conservation, use of resources and environmental management decisions by identifying threatened ecosystems suffering loss of biodiversity.

This article presents a theoretical guide, updated and documented with numerous examples for the systematic application of the categories and criteria of the RLE, examples that cover a wide range of ecosystem types, geographical locations and levels of data availability. The fundamentals are currently available in English, French and Spanish on our website in the key documents section.

The IUCN RLE team congratulates the magazine for its anniversary and expresses its gratitude to its editors, particularly the editor Sara Fuente Pérez, for the distinction received. Once again, the categories and criteria of the LRE are reaffirmed as a frame of global reference based on scientifically rigorous, transparent and highly influential tools for politicians, decision-makers and the general public.

 

Written by:  Mariana C. Hernández-Montilla

Style and format: Ana María Fernández