New IUCN report sets out guidelines for best conserving rhinos in Africa

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, was adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) on 17 June 2022. It prohibits harmful fisheries subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world’s fish stocks.

Members also agreed at MC12 to continue negotiations on outstanding issues with a view to making recommendations by MC13 for additional provisions to further enhance the disciplines of the Agreement.

The Coalition is a global network of conservation genetic experts working towards a shared goal of improving the integration of genetic information into conservation policy and practice.

The Coalition also aims to increase global capacity in conservation genetics by offering opportunities and support for currently underrepresented groups.

How to use

Further information is available at: https://www.coalitionforconservationgenetics.org

A set of webinars, reports, and publications on genetic research, capacity building, and policy are available on the Resources page at:

https://www.coalitionforconservationgenetics.org/resources

The study by O’Brien et al. (2022) can be accessed at: Bringing together approaches to reporting on within species genetic diversity – O’Brien – 2022 – Journal of Applied Ecology – Wiley Online Library

The Addis Ababa principles were adopted by the CBD in 2004 and they provide an overall framework to assist Governments, the private sector, and other stakeholders ensure that the use of species and other elements of biodiversity is sustainable in the long-term. They contain 14 interdependent principles covering policies, laws, adaptive management, research, the needs of indigenous communities, participatory approaches, and education and awareness. The principles are each supported by a set of operational guidelines. The principles are all of general relevance, but each one may not apply equally in all situations and their application will vary according to the species, local conditions, and the institutional and cultural context.

The Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has developed this guide to assist countries in assessing to what extent government subsidies are having harmful impacts on biodiversity, and to create action plans to repurpose them to become more nature-positive and enhance positive impacts for both people and nature. The BIOFIN Catalogue of Financing Solutions summarizes over 150 possible financing mechanisms to help countries understand which financing mechanisms are already used around the world. Countries can use this Catalogue to determine priorities for their national biodiversity finance plan.

How to use

The step-by-step guide can be downloaded at:

https://www.biofin.org/knowledge-product/nature-subsidies-step-step-guide-repurpose-subsidies-harmful-biodiversity-and

Further information on BIOFIN and the Catalogue of Financing Solutions are available at:

https://www.biofin.org/

The IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) has developed several tools and resources to support planning. Teams are available to support this approach, including the use of modelling tools. Training in species conservation planning tools and processes is available through a combination of in-person and online courses. Training results in a certificate of completion. Extended mentoring opportunities also exist.

The One Plan Approach: requires that all available resources, all stakeholders and all populations of a species, are considered in conservation planning process. This approach is particularly effective at bringing together ex situ and in situ wildlife conservation practitioners and tools. Through CPSG, teams are available to support groups to apply this approach, which may include the application of the IUCN SSC Ex situ Guidelines as well as databases and modelling tools produced and maintained through key partners such Species360 and the Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative.

Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA): is a specific approach that integrates population viability analysis (PVA) into stakeholder-inclusive, multi-disciplinary planning projects. The PVA element helps all stakeholders to understand more a species’ life-history, threats, and the likely efficacy of potential conservation strategies. Facilitator-modeller teams are available through CPSG, to support groups to apply this approach.

Assess to Plan (A2P): is a process designed to bridge the gap between Red List assessment and conservation planning, for speciose groups. Using Red List data, assessors and other experts identify pathways to conservation action for taxa assessed as Threatened or Data Deficient. Outputs include recommendations for further planning or action for multi-species groups of taxa that can be expected to respond favourably to the same kinds of conservation action taken in the same areas and/or by the same groups of conservation actors.

This document is a directory of the skills, knowledge and personal attributes required by practitioners working in threatened species recovery programmes, in both in-situ and ex-situ contexts. Its structure consists of 19 categories of competence arranged in three main groups: Planning, Management and  Administration; Threatened Species Recovery; and General Personal Competences. Within each of the three categories, specific competences are defined for up to four professional levels: Executive, Senior Manager, Middle Manager/Technical Specialist and Skilled Worker.

A coalition of conservation organisations supporting and promoting the International Ranger Federation to build a network of well-supported, professional, and capable rangers, who can act effectively as custodians of the natural world. It has produced numerous guidelines and standards of relevance to professionalizing the ranger work-force, including a Code of Conduct, ranger competences, and a document on how rangers support delivery of 30×30. There are 8 organizations URSA can be linked with (for filtering purposes).

The Guidelines aim to be equally relevant for any taxon on Earth. Recent experience has shown that no two planning situations are the same. So while the principles of planning may be constant, the purpose of the planning and the circumstances, the information available and its accuracy, and other factors, all combine to make every situation unique. This then demands a planning process that is both rigorous in analysis but flexible in its application. These Guidelines are very much an evolution based on experience, rather than a fundamental replacement of the 2008 Handbook (Strategic Planning for Species: A Handbook).

The RLI monitors trends in extinction risk over time and is based on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It tracks the conservation status of major species groups, and has been applied so far to birds, mammals, cycads, amphibians, corals. The data can be disaggregated by region, or country.

How to use

For details of the RLI process and to see results: https://www.iucnredlist.org/assessment/red-list-index

CLP is an international capacity building programme that supports young conservationists in to undertake applied biodiversity projects. Each year, CLP calls for project applications in low- and middle-income countries and some high-income islands in the Caribbean and Pacific. Funding is awarded to teams of early-career conservationists to conduct scientific research, promote pro-conservation attitudes, and deliver tangible results to conserve and manage biodiversity.

There are three grant levels. Starting with a Future Conservationist Award, teams are supported to undertake small-scale research and awareness-raising projects. Then through Follow-up and Leadership awards, teams can implement larger projects over a longer period of time and implement deliver practical solutions while learning more complex decision-making, communication, and leadership skills. As part of the award, winning teams can access expertise from within the partner organisations and via our global Alumni Network, which includes past award-winners.

Programme staff members are also available to advise on project implementation, including guidance required during the planning and team training stages. Each year CLP runs a two-week Conservation Management & Leadership Course for recent award winners. CLP is a partnership of three leading biodiversity conservation organisations, BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International, and Wildlife Conservation Society.

This World Bank initiative presents the scientific basis for why and how incorporating biodiversity and nature into urban design is crucial for achieving sustainability and resilience in cities and beyond. The report defines key terms and concepts, explores what urban leaders can do to promote them, and offers practical tools and approaches for incorporating urban nature and biodiversity into decision-making.

METT was one of the first tools developed under the IUCN WCPA Framework for protected area management effectiveness (PAME). Several versions and many adaptations have been produced, reflecting lessons learned. By 2016 the METT had been applied in 127 countries. METT-4 is presented in Excel format to aid implementation and compilation of results. The METT Handbook covers management effectiveness, advice on best use of the METT, case studies, and links to improving the quality of METT assessments using SMART, and using the site-level assessment of governance and equity (SAGE) tool.

How to use

• For further information and to download the handbook:
• https://www.iucn.org/news/protected-areas/202112/management-effectiveness-tracking-tool-mett-new-edition-mett-handbook-launched
• To view two IUCN webinars on the METT on YouTube: Introduction to the METT-4 and Using the new METT-4.c: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1sfXLfLldk
• For news and updates on METT see the METT support group on Facebook.