New ‘State of the World’s Mangroves’ report underscores critical links to biodiversity, climate, and communities

These guidelines offer an approach for developing a corporate-level biodiversity strategic plan, including measurable goals and objectives and a set of core linked  indicators, that will allow companies to measure their biodiversity performance across their operations. The Guidelines can be used by any company in any sector that has impacts and dependencies on biodiversity, whether large or small, national or multinational. They are aimed at sustainability teams, managers and other company staff whose roles include strategic planning and reporting related to biodiversity. The focus is on a full-cycle, results-based management approach (not just risk analyses, goal setting or indicator development), since assessing pressures on biodiversity, and planning and developing measurable goals, are key prerequisites for monitoring. They also explain how, by choosing and using appropriate core indicators and building internal capacity and partnerships, companies can aggregate and use biodiversity data at the corporate level in a meaningful way.

IBAT is a biodiversity impact assessment tool that enables companies and other users to screen the potential risks to biodiversity and key sites from proposed development. IBAT is

based on three global datasets, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, World Database on Protected Areas, and World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas]. IBAT provides data, tools, and guidance to assist organisations in acting on biodiversity-related risks and opportunities, and provide sustainable funding to support biodiversity datasets. IBAT has a GIS download service which is available through five plans, ranging from free to USD 35,000 /year, according to the level of access required. Data can be downloaded at global level or at more local levels. Biodiversity data reports can be generated as a pdf document, or as raw data in CSV format, and/or map files. IBAT report templates include a simple proximity report, a World Bank Group risk report, and a freshwater report.

As habitats and ecosystems become increasingly altered and populations evermore impacted by human activities, a growing number of species will require some form of management of both individuals and populations to ensure their survival. Ex situ management is one possible option that can contribute to the conservation of threatened species. The aim of these guidelines is to provide practical guidance on evaluating the suitability and requirements of an ex situ component for achieving species conservation objectives.

The Living Planet Index measures the state of the world’s biodiversity based on population trends of vertebrate species from terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats. The LPI has been adopted by the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) as an indicator of progress towards its targets. The LPI is compiled by WWF and ZSL based on trends in thousands of population time-series data collected from monitored sites around the world. The Living Planet Database contains population time-series data on the abundance of tens of thousands of vertebrate species between 1970 and 2021. It is publicly available, except for some confidential records that cannot be shared.

How to use  

• The annual Living Planet Report can be downloaded at: https://www.wwf.org.uk/our-reports/living-planet-report
• The latest results and the technical supplement are available at: https://www.livingplanetindex.org/
• Data in the Living Planet Database can be searched or downloaded at:

https://github.com/Zoological-Society-of-London/rlpi

The Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP) is a global initiative to promote the development, delivery, and use of biodiversity indicators. Its primary role is to delivering indicators to monitor progress toward global and national goals and targets, such as those under the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Convention on Migratory Species, Ramsar, and others. The BIP also supports indicators used in IPBES Assessment reports and for reporting progress towards Sustainable Development Goals. Indicators supported by the BIP are also used by national and regional governments.

How to use

• To obtain the list of BIP indicators and further guidance: https://www.bipindicators.net/
• To access resources: https://www.bipindicators.net/resources?filters%5Bcategory%5D=47
• To access data by country from the BIP Dashboard, enter the country name or browse by region at: https://bipdashboard.natureserve.org/SelectCountry.html

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a supplementary international agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity which aims to ensure the safe handling, transport, and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health. It was adopted on 29 January 2000 and entered into force on 11 September 2003.

The Protocol establishes an advance informed agreement (AIA) procedure for ensuring that countries are provided with the information necessary to make informed decisions before agreeing to the import of such organisms into their territory. The Protocol also establishes a Biosafety Clearing-House to facilitate the exchange of information on living modified organisms and to assist countries in the implementation of the Protocol. The Biosafety Clearing-House is an online platform for exchanging information on living modified organisms and is a key tool for facilitating the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol. It includes national information published by countries (primarily Parties to the Protocol) as well as virtual library of biosafety resources, information on different living modified organisms as well as laboratories for their detection.

How to use

Further information on the Cartagena Protocol is available at: https://bch.cbd.int/protocol

The Biosafety Clearing House can be accessed at: https://bch.cbd.int/en/

The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund The Fund was established in 2008 with an initial endowment of €25,000,000 to: Provide targeted grants to individual species conservation initiatives; Recognize leaders in the field of species conservation; and Elevate the importance of species in the broader conservation debate. The Fund provides small grants to boots-on-the-ground, in-the-field species conservation projects for the world’s most threatened species.

The Fund is open to applications for funding support from all parts of the world for direct conservation projects focused on threatened plant, animal, and fungus species. Grants are awarded according to criteria set by the Species Fund, and are for a maximum of $25,000.

The IUCN Urban Alliance, a broad coalition of IUCN constituents concerned with the urban dimensions of nature conservation, has unveiled a new knowledge product for measuring the ecological performance of cities: the IUCN Urban Nature Indexes (UNI). Comprising six themes with five indicator topics nested within each theme, the UNI is intended to help policymakers, stakeholders and local communities understand their impacts on nature, set science-based targets for improvement, and monitor progress using science-based measures. By enhancing environmental transparency and accountability, and by focusing on improvement rather than fixed targets, the UNI aims to catalyse local action for nature in all cities.

The GSPC  – A Plan to Save the World’s Plant Species – highlights the importance of plants and the ecosystem services they provide for all life on earth, and aims to ensure their conservation. The GSPC includes 16 targets for plant conservation. An updated GSPC was formally adopted at the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD.

CBD in a Nutshell: A Guidebook to the CBD Process
1st edition (Dec. 2016) 2nd edition (Nov. 2018)

Training Manual for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities on the Convention on Biological Diversity English Spanish

CBD Technical Series No.96: The Global Taxonomic Initiative: Examples of Capacity Development Activities (pg. 43)

CBD Technical Series No.94: Step-by-step guide for developing DNA-barcoding capacity

CBD Capacity-Building Handbook: Designing and Delivering Effective Training

This is a / EBSAs are / a CBD initiative to identify marine areas that serve important purposes in supporting the healthy functioning of oceans and the services they provide. EBSAs are identified according to seven criteria. Selection of EBSAs and conservation and management measures is a matter for States and competent intergovernmental organizations, in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

How to use

• To obtain search the global map of EBSAs: https://www.cbd.int/ebsa/
• For further details of the EBSA criteria: int/doc/meetings/mar/ebsaws-2014-01/other/ebsaws-2014-01-azores-brochure-en.pdf

SCTI is a partnership initiative between  several NGOs and ex situ organizations to ensure that new innovations and tools needed for species risk assessment, conservation planning, and population management are developed, globally available, and used effectively. SCTI combines expertise in population biology, computer programming, and planning to build modelling tools essential to guide conservation actions for threatened species in the wild, to facilitate the intensive management of species in ex situ programmes, and to integrate conservation efforts across all types of management approaches.