Africa’s total rhino count has continued to increase despite poaching, while certain species in Asia face an existential threat.
The UN Convention on Biodiversity has developed sets of detailed guidance on ILK. These include the Tkarihwaié:ri Code of Ethical Conduct to Ensure Respect for the Cultural and Intellectual Heritage of Indigenous and Local Communities Relevant to the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity; the Mo’otz Kuxtal Voluntary Guidelines for the development of mechanisms, legislation or other appropriate initiatives to ensure the “prior and informed consent”; and The Rutzolijirisaxik Voluntary Guidelines for the Repatriation of Traditional Knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Relevant for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity
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.
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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.
This new tool has been developed by the CITES Secretariat and the United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) to support CITES Management and Scientific Authorities, Customs officials, and all others involved in implementing and enforcing CITES. It contains six volumes: Mammals, Birds, Reptiles-Amphibians-Fish-Invertebrates, Plants, and Parts and Derivatives (2 volumes).
In addition, over 4000 identification resources are available in different formats.
The mission of the International Ranger Foundation is ‘To develop, advance and promote throughout the world community, the Ranger profession, and its critical role in the conservation of natural and working cultural resources’. The IRF Code of Conduct provides a common definition for a ranger and templates for ranger values and codes of conduct and is available in several languages. The aim is for rangers to uphold the values and commit to the Code of Conduct.
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.
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These guidelines were produced in 2023 to provide (i) a guide to understanding and resolving human-wildlife conflict and set out (ii) the foundations and principles of good practice on addressing conflicts and enabling coexistence with wildlife. The guidelines focus on approaches and tools for analysis and decision-making, and they are applicable any species or region of the world.
The guidelines were prepared by the IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group which is a global advisory group of experts from a range of subjects working on interdisciplinary approaches to wildlife conservation and supporting the IUCN network, conservation practitioners, and international organisations around the world with guidance and information on best practice. The World Bank has organised training courses on HWC, in collaboration with IUCN.
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To download the IUCN guidelines:
To contact the IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group [and obtain further guidance and advice]: https://www.hwctf.org/
For details of the World Bank training courses on HWC:
https://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2021/05/01/human-wildlife-conflict-training-series
The Red List of Ecosystems is a global standard for assessing the conservation status of ecosystems. The RLE consists of 8 categories indicating higher-to-lower threat status. Assessments are made according to a formal, transparent protocol, based on five criteria. Assessments can be conducted at global, regional, or national level. The RLE Database hosts published ecosystem assessments, their location and the threats facing them.
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For information on the RLE process: https://www.iucn.org/theme/ecosystem-management/our-work/red-list-ecosystems
For details of the RLE Categories and Criteria: https://www.iucnrle.org/rle-categ-and-criteria
To search the RLE Database: https://www.iucnrle.org/rle-database
This guide to practical, science-based approach to national biodiversity assessment and prioritisation has been produced by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. The approach is based on the principles of Systematic Conservation Planning and is augmented by 10 operating principles. It sets out a practical, science-based approach to spatial biodiversity assessment and prioritisation and forms an excellent starting point to inform national spatial planning exercises, including detailed advice for low resource situations.
This checklist provides the official list of species listed on the CITES appendices and associated information, including scientific names and synonyms; common names in English, French and Spanish (where available), the CITES Appendix in which they are currently listed, distribution, and history of listings. Over 4000 Identification resources sourced from the CITES Identification Manual and the CITES Virtual College are also available. Users can search and filter by name (including higher taxa), CITES Appendix and country/territory/region of occurrence (“All locations”).
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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
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.
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.
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These Guidelines were developed in 2017 and are designed for use with any taxon on Earth. The principles of planning are constant, but the purpose, the circumstances, the information available and other factors, all combine to make each planning situation unique. The Guidelines emphasise the assessment of options and alternatives, techniques for exploring the outcomes of different actions, and how to deal with unintended outcomes through adaptive management.
The guidelines provide practical support in evaluating the suitability and requirements of an ex-situ population in species conservation. The guidelines are intended to ensure that proposals for ex-situ activities are rigorously designed and reviewed, whatever the taxon or scale of operation. The need for risk assessment and sound decision-making processes in all ex-situ management for conservation is emphasised.
The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems is a global framework for monitoring the status of ecosystems. It is part of the growing toolbox for assessing risks to biodiversity and aims to support conservation, resource use, and management decisions by identifying ecosystems most at risk of biodiversity loss. The basis of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems is the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Categories and Criteria, a set of eight categories and five criteria that provide a consistent method for assessing the risk of ecosystem collapse. These Guidelines assist correct implementation of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Categories and Criteria by providing information on the development of the protocol and a detailed overview of the scientific foundations supporting the categories and criteria.
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
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.
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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 Declaration is a comprehensive instrument detailing the rights of indigenous peoples in international law and policy. It establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity, wellbeing and rights of the world’s indigenous peoples.
The Declaration addresses both individual and collective rights; cultural rights and identity; rights to education, health, employment, language, and others. It outlaws discrimination against indigenous peoples and promotes their full and effective participation in all matters that concern them.
It also ensures their right to remain distinct and to pursue their own priorities in economic, social and cultural development. The Declaration explicitly encourages harmonious and cooperative relations between States and indigenous peoples.
The (PCCB) is the convening authority for capacity-building matters under the UNFCCC (UN Climate Change). This toolkit to assess capacity building gaps and needs to implement the Paris Agreement was developed as a resource for developing country officials and partners in the assessment of relevant capacity needs and gaps. This capacity assessment toolkit presents an overview of tools that support the assessment of capacity needed to address climate change.
It identifies key points and steps involved in the assessment process from design to evaluation, and is supported by case studies. It also includes examples of approaches that have been successfully adopted as well as links to additional resources that may be accessed via the UNFCCC capacity building portal and other online sources.
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.
These Guidelines aim to demonstrate the best available science and practice for maintaining, enhancing, and restoring ecological connectivity among and between protected areas, other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) and other intact ecosystems. The Guidelines introduce a common definition and recommend formal recognition of ecological corridors to serve as critical building blocks of ecological networks. The Guidelines also include 25 case studies that demonstrate current approaches to conserving ecological connectivity and ecological networks for different ecosystems and species, and at different spatial and temporal scales.
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.
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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
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.
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