The IUCN SSC Species Monitoring Specialist Group works with a range of partners, collaborators and donors to implement a diversity of activities and projects to deliver its mission.
Ongoing Projects (as of 1 August 2018)
Follow us on Twitter for project updates.
Gap analysis: A global audit of biodiversity monitoring to fill the gaps in data and capacity.
UPDATE 1st August 2018:
GET INVOLVED!
The online survey to collect information on monitoring scheme is now live here or you can download the Excel form here
In order to enhance and prioritize data collection and to unblock the flow of biodiversity data to decision makers, this project aims to assess the major taxonomic, geographic and temporal data gaps in the indicator frameworks and databases used to monitor biodiversity nationally and globally. We will identify the key systems, measures and methods used to collect data, especially those relevant at multiple scales, and the challenges faced in using them. We will assess global systems and a representative sample of national systems, as well as extracting lessons from project portfolios of a selection of species donors and by surveying the IUCN SSC network. We will also conduct in-depth analyses of a selection of key databases. By widely disseminating our findings and lessons on data and capacity gaps, what is working and what is not, we hope to prioritize and encourage enhanced species monitoring and to inform processes to develop standard monitoring frameworks for threatened species and places like protected areas and KBAs that will help fill the identified gaps. The IUCN SSC Species Monitoring SG will also use the results of the project to help prioritize its own action plan from 2019 onwards.
Timeline: October 2017 to December 2019
Long-term Goal: From 2020, the latest technology and methods are being used to fill taxonomic, geographic and temporal data gaps in national, regional and global databases to enhance the monitoring of species and important conservation sites.
Project Goal: By end 2019, conservationists are aware of the priorities for filling gaps in data on species, their habitats and threats and for building the capacity necessary to monitor biodiversity.
Objective 1: By December 2018, the major taxonomic, geographic and temporal data gaps for monitoring biodiversity status and threats are identified, and the key capacity gaps assessed.
Objective 2: By June 2019 case studies are available that demonstrate successful methods and databases for conservation monitoring.
Objective 3: By end of 2019, results and lessons on the state of the world’s biodiversity monitoring are disseminated through multiple channels in multiple formats to encourage broader uptake by a wide audience and to inform development of guidelines for species and protected areas monitoring.
Partners and Collaborators: Birdlife International, RSPB, Universities of Cambridge and Newcastle, UN Environment – WCMC, ZSL as well as secretariats of MEAs (e.g. CITES, Ramsar) and donors with project portfolios to learn from (e.g. CEPF, IUCN-SOS, Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, US Fish & Wildlife Service).
Outline Budget: US$ 260,000 over 2.25 years (US$ 95,000 secured from Cambridge Conservation Initiative Collaborative Fund for Conservation).
More information on the CCI-funded elements of the project and how to contribute can be found here and on the CCI webpage.
Field Test & Guidelines: Biodiversity monitoring and reporting frameworks for business
Many large businesses like the energy company Enel are beginning to strive for a net positive impact on the environment, but are struggling to find ways to plan and monitor their efforts. This project started by developing a proposed monitoring and reporting framework for Enel and, as we move into a second phase, we are aiming to: a) test the proposed system in a number of pilot Enel offices; b) encourage a broader group of companies from diverse sectors to follow suit; and c) work to bridge the gap between science and business practice by identifying and testing a biodiversity indicator framework that can be replicated at different scales across sectors.
Timeline: October 2017 to December 2020.
Long-term Goal: From 2021, forward-thinking businesses are planning and monitoring a net positive impact on the environment.
Project Goal: By end 2019, at least three companies are making environmental decisions based on biodiversity data.
Objective 1: By September 2018, a biodiversity monitoring and reporting framework has been developed for Enel
Objective 2: By June 2019, lessons from the conservation community have helped identify appropriate biodiversity indicators for use by businesses across sectors
Objective 3: By end of 2020, guidelines and tool for corporate biodiversity monitoring and reporting have been tested in at least three companies.
Partners and Collaborators: IUCN Global Business and Biodiversity Programme, IUCN Science and Economic Knowledge, University of Oxford, Enel, Fauna & Flora International, UNEP-WCMC, Proteus Partnership.
Phase 2 Budget: Under development.
Field Test: Testing a new tool to facilitate stakeholder conversations
For any environmental management system to work, stakeholders need to be implicated from the outset. However, people come with different perspectives and values. We are therefore keen to explore ways to engage stakeholders in conversations that allow development of consensus on key land use management issues, including biodiversity monitoring. The Forest and Development Group at ETH Zürich has developed a method to enhance the mutual understanding of key environmental issues among diverse stakeholders. The method, called MineSet, uses role-playing to facilitate open discussions and develop consensus. We will facilitate a one-day workshop at IUCN HQ in September 2018 to allow IUCN teams to experience this new method and evaluate its relevance for conservation needs and suggest adaptations that might be needed before we apply it to protected areas. We then plan to pilot the method in field sites.
Timeline: July 2018 to December 2020.
Project Goal: By end 2020, enhanced stakeholder engagement ensures improved biodiversity management and monitoring in and around protected areas in at least three countries.
Partners and Collaborators: ETH Zürich, IUCN, local partners at field sites (to be determined).
Projects Under Development (as of 1 August 2018)
The Group and its partners are searching for funds to implement a set of projects from 2018 to 2021:
Project Concept (Field testing): Improving capacity for in-situ site-based species monitoring. January 2019 to December 2021; US$ 3,174,600 over 3 years for 9 countries (c. US$ 130,000 p.a. per country).
Project Concept (Case studies): Showcasing best practices in biodiversity monitoring. January 2019 to June 2020; US$ 79,700 over 18 months.
Project Concept (Decision support): A decision-support tool for biodiversity monitoring. January 2019 to December 2021; US$ 302,000 over 3 years.
The expected impacts of the projects include:
Note that all project details (goals, objectives, time frames, partners and budgets) are subject to change as full project proposals are developed; additional project concepts are under development.
Project Concepts
Field testing: Improving capacity for in-situ site-based species monitoring
This is a unique collaboration between international experts and local NGOs, academic bodies and government agencies to increase capacity for evidence-based decision-making and enhance the impact of terrestrial, freshwater and marine protected areas (PAs) in conserving biodiversity in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It represents an innovative coherent effort to simplify and standardize monitoring methods in PAs to meet national and global conservation needs. We will adapt survey methods for threatened plants, vertebrates and invertebrates to local conditions and local species. We will then help PA staff develop site monitoring plans and train them in monitoring and data analysis. The project will focus on in situ monitoring providing data to complement remote sensing data on habitat cover. We will also develop local systems for data analysis and sharing to enhance decision-making. The results will improve PA management and support national reporting processes for Aichi Targets 11 (protected areas) and 12 (threatened species) and Sustainable Development Goals 14 (Life Below Water) and 15 (Life on Land), as well as improve input into key regional and global databases. We will disseminate lessons widely to inform the development and adoption of global monitoring standards to improve the conservation impact of PAs, including Key Biodiversity Areas, Ramsar Sites, World Heritage Sites and Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites.
Timeline: January 2019 to December 2021
Goal: By December 2021, multi-taxa monitoring protocols track the status of, and threats to, sites of conservation importance such as protected areas, World Heritage Sites, Ramsar sites and KBAs in at least 9 biodiversity-rich countries, creating the capacity for evidence-based decision-making locally, regionally and globally.
Objective 1: By June 2020, monitoring guidance and protocols have been developed and tested for key taxa (e.g. small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, plants)
Objective 2: By June 2021, at least 9 countries across three continents are using locally-adapted protocols and the resultant data.
Objective 3: By December 2021, project lessons are synthesized and published, informing national and global guidelines and standards.
Following discussions with local partners, we are targeting sites in countries such as (but not limited to) Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Guatemala, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Peru and Tanzania.
Potential Partners (for methods development and capacity building): IUCN SSC taxonomic specialist groups, including staff from institutions with specialist knowledge and monitoring experience.
Potential Partners (for site testing in projects): national wildlife and protected area agencies (e.g. Chile Corporación Nacional Forestal, Ghana Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Tanzania National Parks), local NGOs and research bodies (e.g. FUNDAECO Guatemala, University of Ghana, Yaqu Pacha Chile), international NGOs and donors (e.g. Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Global Wildlife Conservation, IUCN-SOS, WWF).
Outline Budget: US$ 3,174,600 over 3 years for 9 countries (c. US$ 130,000 p.a. per country)
Case studies: Showcasing best practices in biodiversity monitoring.
An international seminar will bring together key actors to describe a series of case studies which demonstrate situations where data collection has led to concrete results and action by decisions makers. The studies will analyze how concrete results were achieved, how much it cost and the lessons to be shared. Key lessons (what methods and tools are working and what are not, and successful examples of data collection and use) will be disseminated widely through published papers, online webinars and conference presentations to encourage replication of successful approaches and enhanced monitoring.
Timeline: January 2019 to June 2020
Goal: Monitoring methods and tools available and adopted by users due to the dissemination of best practice case studies.
Objective 1: By December 2018, a series of case studies is produced which demonstrate successful monitoring where data collection has led to concrete results and action by decisions makers and provide the arguments for monitoring.
Objective 2: Key lessons learned on biodiversity monitoring (what is working and what is not, and successful examples of data collection and use) are disseminated to encourage broader uptake.
Potential Partners: A selection of government agencies, NGOs, research institutions, local communities and businesses with stories to tell.
Outline Budget: US$ 79,700 over 18 months.
Decision support: A decision-support tool for biodiversity monitoring
The project will develop a web-based decision-support tool for biodiversity monitoring that, through a series of questions about their needs, will guide people from the diverse group of data users to the relevant databases, monitoring guidelines and protocols, statistical software or experts willing to offer help and support. The work will build on established initiatives to share tools and data and will help ensure the large array of existing tools and databases are made available to the people that most need them.
Timeline: January 2019 to December 2021
Goal: By June 2020, an online decision support tool for biodiversity monitoring increases access to data, tools and advice for users of information on species, their habitats and threats.
Objective 1: By June 2019, biodiversity data users support needs are mapped and existing biodiversity databases and monitoring tools are collated.
Objective 2: By December 2019, an online decision support tool for biodiversity monitoring has been developed to meet data users’ needs.
Objective 3: From January 2020, a decision support tool for biodiversity monitoring is maintained and disseminated through webinars, conferences, papers and articles and social media.
Potential Partners and Collaborators: IUCN, Global Forest Watch (World Resources Institute), UN Environment – WCMC and other organizations with large repositories of data or tools (e.g. GEO BON, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, TEAM Network, ZSL, etc.).
Outline Budget: US$ 302,000 over 3 years
Ongoing Projects (as of 1 August 2018)
Follow us on Twitter for project updates.
Gap analysis: A global audit of biodiversity monitoring to fill the gaps in data and capacity.
UPDATE 1st August 2018:
GET INVOLVED!
The online survey to collect information on monitoring scheme is now live here or you can download the Excel form here
In order to enhance and prioritize data collection and to unblock the flow of biodiversity data to decision makers, this project aims to assess the major taxonomic, geographic and temporal data gaps in the indicator frameworks and databases used to monitor biodiversity nationally and globally. We will identify the key systems, measures and methods used to collect data, especially those relevant at multiple scales, and the challenges faced in using them. We will assess global systems and a representative sample of national systems, as well as extracting lessons from project portfolios of a selection of species donors and by surveying the IUCN SSC network. We will also conduct in-depth analyses of a selection of key databases. By widely disseminating our findings and lessons on data and capacity gaps, what is working and what is not, we hope to prioritize and encourage enhanced species monitoring and to inform processes to develop standard monitoring frameworks for threatened species and places like protected areas and KBAs that will help fill the identified gaps. The IUCN SSC Species Monitoring SG will also use the results of the project to help prioritize its own action plan from 2019 onwards.
Timeline: October 2017 to December 2019
Long-term Goal: From 2020, the latest technology and methods are being used to fill taxonomic, geographic and temporal data gaps in national, regional and global databases to enhance the monitoring of species and important conservation sites.
Project Goal: By end 2019, conservationists are aware of the priorities for filling gaps in data on species, their habitats and threats and for building the capacity necessary to monitor biodiversity.
Objective 1: By December 2018, the major taxonomic, geographic and temporal data gaps for monitoring biodiversity status and threats are identified, and the key capacity gaps assessed.
Objective 2: By June 2019 case studies are available that demonstrate successful methods and databases for conservation monitoring.
Objective 3: By end of 2019, results and lessons on the state of the world’s biodiversity monitoring are disseminated through multiple channels in multiple formats to encourage broader uptake by a wide audience and to inform development of guidelines for species and protected areas monitoring.
Partners and Collaborators: Birdlife International, RSPB, Universities of Cambridge and Newcastle, UN Environment – WCMC, ZSL as well as secretariats of MEAs (e.g. CITES, Ramsar) and donors with project portfolios to learn from (e.g. CEPF, IUCN-SOS, Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, US Fish & Wildlife Service).
Outline Budget: US$ 260,000 over 2.25 years (US$ 95,000 secured from Cambridge Conservation Initiative Collaborative Fund for Conservation).
More information on the CCI-funded elements of the project and how to contribute can be found here and on the CCI webpage.
Field Test & Guidelines: Biodiversity monitoring and reporting frameworks for business
Many large businesses like the energy company Enel are beginning to strive for a net positive impact on the environment, but are struggling to find ways to plan and monitor their efforts. This project started by developing a proposed monitoring and reporting framework for Enel and, as we move into a second phase, we are aiming to: a) test the proposed system in a number of pilot Enel offices; b) encourage a broader group of companies from diverse sectors to follow suit; and c) work to bridge the gap between science and business practice by identifying and testing a biodiversity indicator framework that can be replicated at different scales across sectors.
Timeline: October 2017 to December 2020.
Long-term Goal: From 2021, forward-thinking businesses are planning and monitoring a net positive impact on the environment.
Project Goal: By end 2019, at least three companies are making environmental decisions based on biodiversity data.
Objective 1: By September 2018, a biodiversity monitoring and reporting framework has been developed for Enel
Objective 2: By June 2019, lessons from the conservation community have helped identify appropriate biodiversity indicators for use by businesses across sectors
Objective 3: By end of 2020, guidelines and tool for corporate biodiversity monitoring and reporting have been tested in at least three companies.
Partners and Collaborators: IUCN Global Business and Biodiversity Programme, IUCN Science and Economic Knowledge, University of Oxford, Enel, Fauna & Flora International, UNEP-WCMC, Proteus Partnership.
Phase 2 Budget: Under development.
Field Test: Testing a new tool to facilitate stakeholder conversations
For any environmental management system to work, stakeholders need to be implicated from the outset. However, people come with different perspectives and values. We are therefore keen to explore ways to engage stakeholders in conversations that allow development of consensus on key land use management issues, including biodiversity monitoring. The Forest and Development Group at ETH Zürich has developed a method to enhance the mutual understanding of key environmental issues among diverse stakeholders. The method, called MineSet, uses role-playing to facilitate open discussions and develop consensus. We will facilitate a one-day workshop at IUCN HQ in September 2018 to allow IUCN teams to experience this new method and evaluate its relevance for conservation needs and suggest adaptations that might be needed before we apply it to protected areas. We then plan to pilot the method in field sites.
Timeline: July 2018 to December 2020.
Project Goal: By end 2020, enhanced stakeholder engagement ensures improved biodiversity management and monitoring in and around protected areas in at least three countries.
Partners and Collaborators: ETH Zürich, IUCN, local partners at field sites (to be determined).
Projects Under Development (as of 1 August 2018)
The Group and its partners are searching for funds to implement a set of projects from 2018 to 2021:
Project Concept (Field testing): Improving capacity for in-situ site-based species monitoring. January 2019 to December 2021; US$ 3,174,600 over 3 years for 9 countries (c. US$ 130,000 p.a. per country).
Project Concept (Case studies): Showcasing best practices in biodiversity monitoring. January 2019 to June 2020; US$ 79,700 over 18 months.
Project Concept (Decision support): A decision-support tool for biodiversity monitoring. January 2019 to December 2021; US$ 302,000 over 3 years.
The expected impacts of the projects include:
- Improved capacity for species monitoring in sample sites of importance (e.g. protected areas, KBAs) in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
- Improved awareness and uptake of simple, affordable and replicable methods for enhancing biodiversity monitoring.
- Increased volumes of biodiversity data on species and priority places available for decision makers (in e.g. governments, NGOs, donors), especially for protected area management, conservation project reporting and national and global MEA and SDG reporting as well as IUCN Data Products.
- Enhanced evidence-based management of each PA leading to improved species protection and conservation impact.
Note that all project details (goals, objectives, time frames, partners and budgets) are subject to change as full project proposals are developed; additional project concepts are under development.
Project Concepts
Field testing: Improving capacity for in-situ site-based species monitoring
This is a unique collaboration between international experts and local NGOs, academic bodies and government agencies to increase capacity for evidence-based decision-making and enhance the impact of terrestrial, freshwater and marine protected areas (PAs) in conserving biodiversity in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It represents an innovative coherent effort to simplify and standardize monitoring methods in PAs to meet national and global conservation needs. We will adapt survey methods for threatened plants, vertebrates and invertebrates to local conditions and local species. We will then help PA staff develop site monitoring plans and train them in monitoring and data analysis. The project will focus on in situ monitoring providing data to complement remote sensing data on habitat cover. We will also develop local systems for data analysis and sharing to enhance decision-making. The results will improve PA management and support national reporting processes for Aichi Targets 11 (protected areas) and 12 (threatened species) and Sustainable Development Goals 14 (Life Below Water) and 15 (Life on Land), as well as improve input into key regional and global databases. We will disseminate lessons widely to inform the development and adoption of global monitoring standards to improve the conservation impact of PAs, including Key Biodiversity Areas, Ramsar Sites, World Heritage Sites and Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites.
Timeline: January 2019 to December 2021
Goal: By December 2021, multi-taxa monitoring protocols track the status of, and threats to, sites of conservation importance such as protected areas, World Heritage Sites, Ramsar sites and KBAs in at least 9 biodiversity-rich countries, creating the capacity for evidence-based decision-making locally, regionally and globally.
Objective 1: By June 2020, monitoring guidance and protocols have been developed and tested for key taxa (e.g. small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, plants)
Objective 2: By June 2021, at least 9 countries across three continents are using locally-adapted protocols and the resultant data.
Objective 3: By December 2021, project lessons are synthesized and published, informing national and global guidelines and standards.
Following discussions with local partners, we are targeting sites in countries such as (but not limited to) Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Guatemala, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Peru and Tanzania.
Potential Partners (for methods development and capacity building): IUCN SSC taxonomic specialist groups, including staff from institutions with specialist knowledge and monitoring experience.
Potential Partners (for site testing in projects): national wildlife and protected area agencies (e.g. Chile Corporación Nacional Forestal, Ghana Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Tanzania National Parks), local NGOs and research bodies (e.g. FUNDAECO Guatemala, University of Ghana, Yaqu Pacha Chile), international NGOs and donors (e.g. Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Global Wildlife Conservation, IUCN-SOS, WWF).
Outline Budget: US$ 3,174,600 over 3 years for 9 countries (c. US$ 130,000 p.a. per country)
Case studies: Showcasing best practices in biodiversity monitoring.
An international seminar will bring together key actors to describe a series of case studies which demonstrate situations where data collection has led to concrete results and action by decisions makers. The studies will analyze how concrete results were achieved, how much it cost and the lessons to be shared. Key lessons (what methods and tools are working and what are not, and successful examples of data collection and use) will be disseminated widely through published papers, online webinars and conference presentations to encourage replication of successful approaches and enhanced monitoring.
Timeline: January 2019 to June 2020
Goal: Monitoring methods and tools available and adopted by users due to the dissemination of best practice case studies.
Objective 1: By December 2018, a series of case studies is produced which demonstrate successful monitoring where data collection has led to concrete results and action by decisions makers and provide the arguments for monitoring.
Objective 2: Key lessons learned on biodiversity monitoring (what is working and what is not, and successful examples of data collection and use) are disseminated to encourage broader uptake.
Potential Partners: A selection of government agencies, NGOs, research institutions, local communities and businesses with stories to tell.
Outline Budget: US$ 79,700 over 18 months.
Decision support: A decision-support tool for biodiversity monitoring
The project will develop a web-based decision-support tool for biodiversity monitoring that, through a series of questions about their needs, will guide people from the diverse group of data users to the relevant databases, monitoring guidelines and protocols, statistical software or experts willing to offer help and support. The work will build on established initiatives to share tools and data and will help ensure the large array of existing tools and databases are made available to the people that most need them.
Timeline: January 2019 to December 2021
Goal: By June 2020, an online decision support tool for biodiversity monitoring increases access to data, tools and advice for users of information on species, their habitats and threats.
Objective 1: By June 2019, biodiversity data users support needs are mapped and existing biodiversity databases and monitoring tools are collated.
Objective 2: By December 2019, an online decision support tool for biodiversity monitoring has been developed to meet data users’ needs.
Objective 3: From January 2020, a decision support tool for biodiversity monitoring is maintained and disseminated through webinars, conferences, papers and articles and social media.
Potential Partners and Collaborators: IUCN, Global Forest Watch (World Resources Institute), UN Environment – WCMC and other organizations with large repositories of data or tools (e.g. GEO BON, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, TEAM Network, ZSL, etc.).
Outline Budget: US$ 302,000 over 3 years
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Figure 1: The project framework of the IUCN SSC Species Monitoring SG demonstrating the interlinkages between the projects being developed. Numbered text in italics highlights the Group’s objectives addressed by each project.
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Additional Activities Planned for 2018-2019
- Complete recruitment of the Group’s membership.
- Finalize the strategic plan for the Group, including identification of priority taxa and geographies.
- Hold a series of awareness raising and training webinars to introduce taxonomic specialist groups and other interested parties to available data and tools, and to showcase best practice examples.
- Construct a task force of experts to map out the key steps needed to tackle the blockages to data collection on a selection of species from different taxa and biomes.
- Identify at least 5 taxa for which standard monitoring protocols can be developed in the next year - and start work on them.
- Help at least 3 taxonomic specialist groups to develop monitoring plans.
© PJ Stephenson
