Africa’s total rhino count has continued to increase despite poaching, while certain species in Asia face an existential threat.
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Primary tools and resources
UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 is a global call to action, drawing together political support, scientific research, and finance to massively scale up restoration of terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems. It is led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), working with other partners. The website contains a, social media cards, sample messaging, and an animated visual identity designed for users to use or modify according to their needs.
How to use
To obtain information: https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/charting-course-global-restoration
To contribute to the UN Decade: https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/join-movement
Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs)
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
Whitley Fund for Nature
Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is a fundraising and grant-giving nature conservation charity.
Three types of WFN grant enable grassroots conservationists to scale up their work and make a global impact. Whitley Awards provide £40,000 in project funding over one year as well as profile and training. Follow-on grants enable previous winners to expand effective projects, respond to changing needs, and collaborate with other conservationists, with grants worth up to £100,000 over two years. In 2020 WFN introduced a new strand of Continuation Funding for nature-based solutions that will help secure a sustainable future for wildlife, ecosystems and people. The Whitley Gold Award is worth £100,000.
Global Invasive Alien Species Information Partnership
Global Invasive Alien Species Information Partnership (GIASI Partnership) supports CBD Parties who are committed to implementing the various decisions under the CBD pertaining to the prevention, eradication, and control of invasive alien species.
Guidelines for planning and monitoring corporate biodiversity performance
The IUCN SSC Species Monitoring Specialist Group and the IUCN Global Business and Biodiversity Programme have produced Guidelines for Planning and Monitoring Corporate Biodiversity Performance. The Guidelines provide a four-stage, science-based approach for developing a corporate biodiversity strategic plan and measuring biodiversity performance across company operations and supply chains. This enables companies to be more targeted by identifying the species and habitats important to them and understanding the benefits they provide to people.
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.
Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing
The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity. is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources, thereby contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The Nagoya Protocol sets out core obligations for its contracting Parties to take measures in relation to access to genetic resources, benefit-sharing and compliance. The Nagoya Protocol addresses traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources with provisions on access, benefit-sharing, and compliance. It also addresses genetic resources where indigenous and local communities have the established right to grant access to them. Contracting Parties should take measures to ensure these communities’ free, prior, informed consent, keeping in mind community laws and procedures as well as customary use and exchange. The Nagoya Protocol entered into force on 12 October 2014.
How to use
The Nagoya Protocol is available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian at: https://www.cbd.int/abs
Nagoya Protocol Factsheets on access and benefit sharing can be downloaded at: https://www.cbd.int/abs/factsheet
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.
A global register of competences for threatened species recovery practitioners
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.
How to use
The register can be downloaded at: https://portals.iucn.org/library/efiles/documents/2021-09-En.pdf
Ramsar Wetland Sites of International Importance
A Ramsar site is a wetland designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention (The Convention on Wetlands). The convention provides for national action and international cooperation on the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. Sites are identified according to any one of nine criteria. The Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Types has been developed by the Ramsar Convention. There are currently more than 2,400 Ramsar Sites around the world, covering over 2.5 million km2. The Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS) provides online information on wetlands that have been designated as internationally important.
How to use
- For further information on the Convention visit: https://www.ramsar.org
- For an overview of the Ramsar Sites network or to obtain information on a specific Site, visit
- https://rsis.ramsar.org/
- The Administrative Authority of a Contracting Party can submit or update Ramsar Site information using the new online RIS by logging in or registering – instructions at: https://rsis.ramsar.org/sites/all/modules/custom/rsiswp_main/data/RSIS_Instructions_E.pdf
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA)
An ESIA is a statement about the likely impacts of a proposal and how the identified negative impacts can be mitigated and managed and how the positive impacts can be enhanced. The purpose of this review procedure is to ensure that the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports provide adequate assessment and protection measures to manage environmental and social impacts. A systematic approach to review is needed to ensure that the environmental and social impact assessment reports comply with requirements, are consistent with standards of good practice, and provide good quality information to support decision making.
IUCN Red List index : guidance for national and regional use. Version 1.1
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
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.
The FairWild Standard
The FairWild Foundation’s mission is to enable transformation of natural resource management and business practices to be ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable along the value chains of wild-collected products. The FairWild Standard
includes principles and guidance for use throughout these value chains. Together with its system of certification, it provides assurance of ethical and responsible practices across three dimensions of sustainability – ecological, socio-cultural, and business. The FairWild Standard 3.0 contains 7 Principles and 24 Criteria. Adherence to the FairWild Principles ensures that businesses in value chains for wild harvest ingredients act ethically and sustainably and make a positive contribution to the conservation of biodiversity. The FairWild Standard Performance Indicators outline the factors that contribute to the risk of unsustainable wild collection of target species.
CBD Capacity Development tools and resources
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
ECOLEX
ECOLEX is an information service on environmental law, operated jointly by FAO, IUCN, and UNEP. Its purpose is to build global capacity by providing the most comprehensive possible source of information on environmental law, in an easily accessible form. This is particularly helpful in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, where government officials, practitioners, environmental managers, non-profit institutions and academia may not have easy access to the information they need to develop the legal tools needed to promote environmental management.
The ECOLEX database includes information on treaties, international soft-law and other non-binding policy and technical guidance documents, national legislation, judicial decisions, and law and policy literature. Users can access the abstracts and indexing information about each document, as well as to the full text of most of the information provided.
Tracking Economic Instruments and Finance for Biodiversity
The OECD Environmental Policy Committee, through its unique database of Policy Instruments for the Environment (PINE), collects quantitative and qualitative information on policy instruments from more than 120 countries worldwide. This brochure presents statistics on the biodiversity-relevant economic instruments and the finance they mobilise, based on
currently available data. The brochure also includes information on payments for ecosystem services (PES) and on biodiversity offsets, two other types of economic instruments that provide incentives for biodiversity conservation and its sustainable use.
FAO’s 10 elements of agroecology: Guiding the transition to sustainable food and agricultural systems
Agroecology is integral to FAO’s Common Vision for Sustainable Food and Agriculture. It offers a unique approach to meeting significant increases in the future food needs. Agroecology is an integrated approach that applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of food and agricultural systems. These 10 elements set out the core principles.
IUCN WCPA Diagnostic tool for transboundary conservation planners
This tool (i) supports the decision-making process when establishing and implementing transboundary conservation initiatives; (ii) minimizes the risks of the process; (iii) enables planners to assess the feasibility of design and implementation of transboundary conservation measures. Version 2.0 was released by IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group in June 2020.
How to use
For further details and to access the tool:
Guidelines for wildlife disease risk analysis
The Disease Risk Analysis (DRA) process has been adopted by IUCN and other organisations to analyse and manage the possible outcomes of situations involving disease. These guidelines were developed by IUCN and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE) to highlight the importance of DRA for wildlife. The guidelines promote the use of the more detailed Manual of Procedures for Wildlife Disease Risk Analysis. The IUCN CSSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group runs an online training course on Disease Risk Analysis.
How to use
- The guidelines can be downloaded at: http://www.iucn-whsg.org/DRA.
- The Manual of Procedures for Wildlife Disease Risk Analysis can be downloaded at: https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/43386.
- Further information on the online training course on Disease Risk Analysis and details of the registration process. can be accessed at: https://www.cpsg.org/our-approach/training
TRAFFIC Wildlife Trade Portal
The TRAFFIC Wildlife Trade Portal is an interactive tool that displays TRAFFIC’s wildlife seizure and incident database. The results are displayed as a list and as a dashboard, showing, for example, a summary in a chart or on a map. Clicking on individual records shows more in-depth information about a specific incident, such as the species, commodities and locations involved. The results can be exported to CSV format for further analysis. Relevant data or files can be uploaded and checked by TRAFFIC before their inclusion in the Portal.
Responsible Business Alliance Practical Guide to Responsible Sourcing of Goods and Services
The Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Practical Guide to Responsible Sourcing of Goods and Services outlines standard procurement steps to appropriate RBA tools and resources, to help give buyers confidence the products that they procure from RBA members are made in socially and environmentally responsible ways.
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.
The Scottish genetic scorecard
This scorecard is a flexible tool for assessing the risk or potential risk to genetic diversity of wild species. The scorecard contains a set of questions on distribution, biology, and threats that enable users to score the level of potential genetic threat to a species, in situ and ex situ. The scorecard can therefore be used in situations where direct evidence from genetic analyses is not available. The scorecard can also be used in situations with limited resources, according to capacity, the level of knowledge, and the diversity and scale of the country.
How to use
Details of the scorecard and examples are available at: https://www.nature.scot/doc/scotlands-biodiversity-progress-2020-aichi-targets-conserving-genetic-diversity-development-national