On World Rhino Day 2024, a mixed story for the world’s five species of rhinos

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA)

The WDPA is a comprehensive global database on terrestrial and marine protected areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs). It is a joint project between the UN Environment Programme and IUCN, and is managed by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). The WDPA is updated on a monthly basis and site data and maps are available through the Protected Planet platform. About 261,766 officially recognised protected areas are listed, covering over 15% of the of the earth’s land surface and 7.4% of the world’s oceans. Protected Planet contains interactive maps and has eight thematic areas. Every two years, UNEP-WCMC releases the Protected Planet Report on the status of the world’s protected areas and makes recommendations on how to meet international goals and targets.

How to use

To access the Protected Planet website and explore the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), World Database on OECMs, Global Database on Protected Area Management Effectiveness (GD-PAME), and associated information: https://www.protectedplanet.net
To contribute information on a site to the WDPA: https://www.protectedplanet.net/en/thematic-areas/wdpa?tab=WDPA

Biodiversity Indicators Partnership

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

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs)

KBAs are sites that ‘contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems’. KBAs are identified on the basis of species or ecosystems, according to five criteria and 11 subcriteria, all supported by quantitative thresholds. The KBA Global Standard details the criteria and subcriteria. KBA sites must meet one of the criteria and be clearly delineated. Proposed sites are independently reviewed and once accepted are included in the World Database of KBAs.

KBAs are normally identified by a KBA National Coordination Group (NCG). However, anyone with appropriate data may propose a site as a KBA, but they are they are encouraged to work with the NCG if one exists and consultation with relevant stakeholders at the local and national level is required and needs to be documented in the proposal. Where a KBA NCG has not yet been established, proposers submit a site proposal directly.

The Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership is composed of 13 leading international organizations including IUCN. It maintains a KBA Committee, Secretariat, a Technical Working Group, a KBA Consultative Forum, and the World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas. An independent KBA Standards and Appeals Committee has been established under the authority of the elected SSC and WCPA Chairs.

How to use

To download the KBA Standard, criteria, and guidelines, and for further information: https://www.keybiodiversityareas.org/home
To explore maps and site details on the World Database of KBAS: https://wdkba.keybiodiversityareas.org
For guidance on the role of KBA National Coordination Groups and how to establish them: https://www.keybiodiversityareas.org/working-with-kbas/programme/national-coordination-groups

IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas Standard

A protected or conserved area that reaches the IUCN Green List Standard is certified and recognised as achieving ongoing results for people and nature in a fair and effective way. A site that gains ‘Green List’ status demonstrates: Respect: for the local community through fair and meaningful engagement of rights-holders and stakeholders; Design: planning that identifies the needs to secure the important values of the area; Effective management: monitoring of the status of these important values; Successful conservation results: for nature and for people; Clear contribution: to climate change responses, health and well-being and other challenges. The seventeen criteria collectively describe the efforts needed to fully achieve the global Sustainability Standard and all must be achieved for a site to be green-listed. The indicators can be adapted to suit the local context. Any site can join, and work towards achieving verified success, and then attain the Standard or further improve.

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Global invasive species database (GISD)

The Global Invasive Species Database (GISD) is a free source of information about invasive alien species. It covers all taxonomic groups from micro-organisms to animals and plants, in all ecosystems. The GISD aims to increase public awareness about introduced species that negatively impact biodiversity, and to facilitate effective prevention and management activities by providing easy access to authoritative invasive species information.

Planning Principles and Steps

This document was developed by the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) to build global capacity to save biodiversity and share and understanding of what effective species conservation planning looks like. The document contains 7 fundamental principles and 8 practical steps, and presents a succinct philosophy and framework for good species planning based on CPSG’s over 40 years of experience in species conservation planning. USER GUIDE SIMPLE AND CLEAR USER GUIDE TO THE BASIC PRINCIPLES AND PROCESS OF

CBD Guidance on enhancing positive and minimizing negative impacts on biodiversity of climate change adaptation activities

This document was produced by the CBD Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) in 2016. It provides guidance on enhancing the positive and minimizing the negative impacts on biodiversity of climate change mitigation and adaptation activities, based on recent literature, case studies, and experience.

Section I presents the main principles of enhancing positive and reducing negative impacts of climate change adaptation activities on biodiversity. Section II provides guidance on enhancing positive and minimizing negative impacts of climate change adaptation activities, with specific examples from different sectors and ecosystems. Section III provides examples of tools to enhance the benefits and reduce the negative impacts of mitigation on biodiversity, with references to other reports where additional information can be found.

International Whaling Commission (IWC) Programmes on Chemical Pollution

Research on cetaceans indicates that many classes of chemical pollutants, particularly persistent organic pollutants, are so-called ‘endocrine disrupters,’ meaning that they interfere with the hormone system and can increase susceptibility to disease and reduce reproductive success. The huge number of synthetic chemicals released into the environment and their interactions makes quantifying impacts on whale populations a complex task.

The IWC Scientific Committee has initiated four programmes, Pollution 2000, Pollution 2000+, Pollution 2020 and Pollution 2025. The first two initiatives examined tissue concentrations of priority pollutants in key cetacean species and determined toxicological markers and health assessment endpoints to determine adverse health effects, culminating in the development of tools and techniques to estimate population level effects.

The IWC Scientific Committee has also initiated work on the sources of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) which pose a significant ongoing threat to some cetacean populations long after their production was banned. Pollution 2020, assessed the risk to cetaceans from microplastics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Pollution 2025 is focused on cumulative effects and multiple stressors. Pollution 2025 is also setting out a multi-disciplinary, ‘One Health’ approach, recognising that the health of people, animals and the environment are closely connected.

Global Taxonomy Initiative

The Global Taxonomy Initiative (GTI) was established by the CBD to address the lack of taxonomic information and expertise available in many parts of the world, and thereby to improve decision-making in conservation, sustainable use, and equitable sharing of the benefits derived from genetic resources. The GTI was developed by governments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and is implemented by governments, non-government and international organizations, taxonomists, and institutions.

The GTI is specifically intended to support implementation of the work programmes of the Convention on its thematic and cross-cutting issues. The Guide to the GTI includes an introduction, the programme of work, and links to further information. The European GTI Toolkit is a comprehensive tool that covers GTI topics in further detail.

Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring (FERM)

The FERM framework was developed by FAO to support countries in reporting areas under restoration for Target 2 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It is the official monitoring platform for tracking global progress and sharing good practice for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. It includes the FERM Guidance which provides information, a geospatial platform, and a registry of restoration initiatives.

IUCN Save Our Species

Through the hard work of our grantees, advice from IUCN’s many species experts and the support of our incredible donors and partners, we are able to deliver great impact for species threatened with extinction.

Why protect species

The alarm has been raised repeatedly about the decline in biodiversity across the planet. By allowing this decline to continue, we erode the very foundations of our existence.

Find out more about why protect species

Current initiatives

IUCN Save Our Species’ current portfolio is made up of almost 90 projects from all over the world. They are integrated into region-focused or species-focused initiatives.

Farming with Biodiversity: Towards nature-positive production at scale

This WWF report is part their contribution to boosting nature-positive production at scale. The report outlines changes that are needed to create food systems that support rather than exploit nature, with a focus on agricultural production systems. It also feeds into the advocacy for the UNFCCC 26 (Climate CoP). The report highlights that nature positive production of food can and must be part of the solution for addressing biodiversity loss.

SMART monitoring

The SMART platform consists of a set of software and analysis tools designed to help conservationists manage and protect wildlife and wild places. SMART can help standardize and streamline data collection, analysis, and reporting, making it easier for key information to get from the field to decision-makers.

SMART supports a broad range of conservation management activities, including biodiversity conservation, law enforcement, tourism and visitor management, natural resources use, intelligence, and performance and threat level assessments.

Our approach covers three areas: cutting-edge technology, building conservation capacity, and empowering a global network of SMART conservation practitioners. The SMART Approach is supported by a unique, long-term alliance of leading conservation organizations, offering powerful applications in conservation practice to ensure the survival of the Earth’s biodiversity for generations to come.

The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC)

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.

Encyclopedia of Life

The Encyclopedia of Life (EoL) aims to provide global access to knowledge about life on Earth by collecting and sharing knowledge in an open, freely accessible digital resource. EoL identifies sources of biodiversity knowledge that are legally and practically shareable and enriches their structure with modern data tools to integrate them with other data.

EoL works with open access biodiversity knowledge providers around the world, including museums and libraries, universities and research centers, individual scientists, graduate students and citizen science communities, and a suite of international open data hubs. EOL receive information from many sources, and format and annotate it so that search tools can find similar content from different sources.

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): certified sustainable seafood

The MSC Fisheries Standard is used to assess if a fishery is well-managed and sustainable.

To become MSC certified, fisheries voluntarily apply to be assessed against the Standard. It is open to all fisheries that catch marine or freshwater organisms in the wild. The fishery must meet all three principles of the MSC Standard: sustainable stocks; minimal environmental impact; and effective management. A certified catch can be sold with the MSC blue fish label. The Fisheries Certification Process (FCP) is the instruction manual for assessors and sets out how the MSC Fisheries Standard should be interpreted during assessments.

IUCN Standard on Indigenous Peoples

The Standard represents IUCN’s policy objectives with respect to indigenous peoples. It contains eight policy objectives for projects undertaken or supported by IUCN to support indigenous peoples and promote their role in conservation and management of sustainable resources.

The purpose of this Standard is to ensure that IUCN projects anticipate and avoid negative impacts on indigenous peoples or to minimise and/or compensate for impacts; take all rights and needs of indigenous peoples fully into account in project planning and implementation; and ensure that their customs, cultural and spiritual values, and perspectives on the environment are included.

Planning Principles and Steps

This document was developed by the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) to build global capacity to save biodiversity and share and understanding of what effective species conservation planning looks like. The document contains 7 fundamental principles and 8 practical steps, and presents a succinct philosophy and framework for good species planning based on CPSG’s over 40 years of experience in species conservation planning. USER GUIDE SIMPLE AND CLEAR USER GUIDE TO THE BASIC PRINCIPLES AND PROCESS OF

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs)

KBAs are sites that ‘contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems’. KBAs are identified on the basis of species or ecosystems, according to five criteria and 11 subcriteria, all supported by quantitative thresholds. The KBA Global Standard details the criteria and subcriteria. KBA sites must meet one of the criteria and be clearly delineated. Proposed sites are independently reviewed and once accepted are included in the World Database of KBAs.

KBAs are normally identified by a KBA National Coordination Group (NCG). However, anyone with appropriate data may propose a site as a KBA, but they are they are encouraged to work with the NCG if one exists and consultation with relevant stakeholders at the local and national level is required and needs to be documented in the proposal. Where a KBA NCG has not yet been established, proposers submit a site proposal directly.

The Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership is composed of 13 leading international organizations including IUCN. It maintains a KBA Committee, Secretariat, a Technical Working Group, a KBA Consultative Forum, and the World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas. An independent KBA Standards and Appeals Committee has been established under the authority of the elected SSC and WCPA Chairs.

How to use

To download the KBA Standard, criteria, and guidelines, and for further information: https://www.keybiodiversityareas.org/home
To explore maps and site details on the World Database of KBAS: https://wdkba.keybiodiversityareas.org
For guidance on the role of KBA National Coordination Groups and how to establish them: https://www.keybiodiversityareas.org/working-with-kbas/programme/national-coordination-groups

WILDMEAT Use Database

The aim of the WILDMEAT Use Database is to ensure that efforts to manage wild meat resources sustainably are based on the best available evidence. The Database holds three types of data, on wild meat consumption, hunting offtakes, and market sales in a standardised format within one database. This allows data from many different sites and studies to be combined and compared, to track changes in wildmeat harvest characteristics and use, and to evaluate the effectiveness of management and policy interventions. Data can be shared under different license agreements, from full open access to access that is dependent on some terms and conditions.

The WILDMEAT Use Database – User Guide provides assistance on using the database, including descriptions of the data structure, metadata descriptions, data limitations, and other useful information. A WILDMEAT Toolkit with guidance on indicators, theories of change, and data collection methods is under development.

How to use

To WILDMEAT database can be searched through the Database Explorer and the User Guide downloaded at: https://www.wildmeat.org/database/
The WILDMEAT Toolkit can be accessed at: https://www.wildmeat.org/toolkit/.
To contribute data and view the options for sharing data contact: info@wildmeat.org.

IUCN Policy Statement on Sustainable Use of Wild Living Resources

This IUCN policy affirms that sustainable use of wildlife can be consistent with, and contribute to, biodiversity conservation This fundamental principle applies to all species, whatever their level of extinction risk. However, stringent safeguards and a high level of precaution are required when considering whether or not the harvest of a threatened species can be justified.

How to use

The policy can be downloaded at: Rep-2000-054.pdf (iucn.org)
Detailed guidance on the harvest of species assessed as threatened on the IUCN Red List can be downloaded at: https://nc.iucnredlist.org/redlist/content/attachment_files/Guidelines_for_Appropriate_Use_of_IUCN_Red_List_Data_in_Harvesting_of_Threatened_Species_ver_1.pdf

CITES Virtual College

The CITES Virtual College was launched in 2011 and was developed to strengthen the understanding of CITES by Parties and others involved in its implementation and to increase awareness. During 2024, the Virtual College will be revamped with a new interface and a new set of online training courses. The online platform provides details of Training courses, Training materials, Identification guides, Non-detriment findings, References and tools.

CITES Trade database

The CITES trade database currently holds 7 million records of trade in wildlife and 50,000 scientific names of taxa listed by CITES. It is managed by UNEP-WCMC on behalf of the CITES Secretariat. Trade data can be searched by year, taxon, purpose, or importing / exporting country. The complete database can be downloaded (version 2023.1).

The CITES Trade Database can be queried using the novice querying route (a step by step by wizard) or the expert query route (for those already familiar with CITES trade data).

A Guide to Interpreting Outputs from the UNEP-WCMC CITES Trade Database is available.

IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions (NbS)

The IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is a user-friendly framework for the verification, design, and scaling up of NbS. The Standard contains 8 Criteria and 28 Indicators and aims to provides users with a robust framework for designing NbS. The Standard is designed to support users to apply, strengthen, and improve the effectiveness, sustainability, and adaptability of their NbS interventions. It also provides a mechanism for developing a consistent approach to NbS.

On World Rhino Day 2024, a mixed story for the world’s five species of rhinos

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Primary tools and resources

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA)

Biodiversity Indicators Partnership

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs)

IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas Standard

Global invasive species database (GISD)

Planning Principles and Steps

CBD Guidance on enhancing positive and minimizing negative impacts on biodiversity of climate change adaptation activities

International Whaling Commission (IWC) Programmes on Chemical Pollution

Global Taxonomy Initiative

Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring (FERM)

IUCN Save Our Species

Why protect species

Current initiatives

Farming with Biodiversity: Towards nature-positive production at scale

SMART monitoring

The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC)

Encyclopedia of Life

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): certified sustainable seafood

IUCN Standard on Indigenous Peoples

Planning Principles and Steps

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs)

WILDMEAT Use Database

IUCN Policy Statement on Sustainable Use of Wild Living Resources

CITES Virtual College

CITES Trade database

IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions (NbS)