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.

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SMART: A digital monitoring system for effective management of protected areas

Nech Sar National Park is one of Ethiopia’s oldest protected areas, conserved for its diverse flora, fauna, and unique landscapes. However, unsustainable use of resources poses a significant threat to the park. The absence of standardised protocols and systems for recording illegal human activities and threats hinders the effective use and management of the park. The poor enforcement of planning, decision-making and resource allocation processes further fuels the issue.

To address these challenges, the BMZ-funded and GIZ-implemented Biodiversity and Forestry Programme introduced the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART). SMART is a tool that simplifies and enhances data collection, analysis, and reporting in protected area management. It supports various conservation activities such as protection of biodiversity, law enforcement, natural resources utilisation, and tourism management. With its easy-to-use features, SMART offers powerful options for effective management and protection of natural resources.

PANORAMA – Solutions for a Healthy Planet

The PANORAMA platform documents and promotes examples of inspiring solutions on conservation and sustainable development topics. PANORAMA allows practitioners to share their experiences, increase recognition for successful work, and to learn how similar challenges have been addressed around the globe. Over 1200 case studies are presented in a standard format that identifies “building blocks” (key success factors) and the context in which solutions were implemented. Solutions consist of elements that can potentially be replicated or scaled up in other geographic, social, or sectorial contexts. The PANORAMA initiative has many partners. The partnership secretariat is jointly managed by IUCN and GIZ.

Species 360

Species360 is a non-profit NGO working in wildlife care to improve animal welfare and species conservation. It mobilizes a network of more than 1,300 aquarium, zoo, university, research, and governmental members in 102 countries. A central part of is the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), the world’s leading resource for the collection and sharing of data on animals, enabling ex situ institutions to manage their collections effectively and contribute valuable information to global conservation initiatives. ZIMS is the world’s most comprehensive knowledge database on more than 22,000 species. In 2022, Species360 expanded its mission to include flora and extend its operations to horticultural record-keeping, with the addition of Hortis – a specialized software for record-keeping and management of botanical collections.

How to use

Information on Species 360, ZIMS, and Hortis is available at: https://species360.org/about-us/about-species360/

To access Species 360 data it is necessary to register: https://species360.org/become-a-species360-member/

Species Recovery Manual for Plants

Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the International Association of Botanic Gardens have jointly published the BGCI and IABG Recovery Manual for Plants to guide projects on plant species recovery. The manual sets out the aims and purpose of species recovery and the steps involved, and indicates good practice. The manual is aimed at conservation practitioners but also includes comprehensive bibliographic references, which enable more in depth reading on the topics covered.

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.

AEWA International Single and Multi-Species Action Planning Format and Guidelines

These guidelines are produced by the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds. The revised version includes Multi-Species Action as well as making AEWA Plans more implementable, accessible, and practical for implementing agencies. The guidelines also recognise the need for activities to be more targeted and aligned with the set objectives and goals.

CPSG Species Conservation Planning Tools

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.

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

Database of Global Data Sources for Biodiversity Conservation Monitoring

The database has been developed by the IUCN SSC Species Monitoring Specialist Group with support from Re:wild. It includes 178 global data sources on: monitoring biodiversity state, pressures and threats; monitoring conservation responses to biodiversity loss, and those with multiple uses for biodiversity monitoring. A fact sheet answering frequently asked questions about the database is also available. The Species Monitoring Specialist Group is a voluntary network of experts from around the world and includes specialists on different species and taxa, on different monitoring techniques and issues, and on different types of data use. The group aims to enhance conservation by improving the flow of species data from collection point to decision-maker.

How to use

Version 3.0 of the database and the fact sheet can be downloaded at: https://www.speciesmonitoring.org/data-sources.html

A selection of Manuals, Guidelines and Methods Reviews is available at:

https://www.speciesmonitoring.org/guidelines-and-tools.html

To contact the Species monitoring Specialist Group: SpeciesMonitoring@gmail.com

Living Planet Index (LPI)

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 CA|TS Report 2022: 10 years of Conservation Assured Tiger Standards

Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) started with a simple aim – tocontribute to the many efforts around the world to secure wild tigers. But such tasks are never so simple to implement. Developing CA|TS over the last ten years has involved a huge collaborative effort in standard setting, advocacy, software development, training, fundraising and much more. For the sites and people involved it has represented a major commitment in supporting national systems to implement CA|TS.

This report tells the story of the CA|TS journey from an idea to a global partnership of countries, sites, experts and conservation organisations implementing this mission across the tiger range.

IWC Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling Management Programme (ASWMP): science-based management of aboriginal whaling activities

In some parts of the world, whale products play an important role in the nutritional and cultural life of native peoples. Four IWC member countries conduct aboriginal subsistence hunts today: Denmark (Greenland), Russia (Chukotka), St Vincent and the Grenadines (Bequia) and the United States (Alaska and also potentially a resumption of hunts previously undertaken by the Makah Tribe of Washington State).

From the outset, the IWC recognised that indigenous or aboriginal subsistence whaling is not the same as commercial whaling. Aboriginal whaling does not seek to maximise catches or profit. It is categorised differently by the IWC and is not subject to the moratorium. The IWC recognises that its regulations have the potential to impact significantly on traditional cultures, and great care must be taken in discharging this responsibility.

In summary, the IWC objectives for management of aboriginal subsistence whaling are to ensure that hunted whale populations are maintained at (or brought back to) healthy levels, and to enable native people to hunt whales at levels that are appropriate to cultural and nutritional requirements in the long term.