Priority Species Indicator
Aichi Target 12: By 2020 the extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and their conservation status, particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained.
Fiona Burns, Mark Eaton, Richard Gregory
Earliest available assessment
Most recent assessment
Num
ber o
f Spe
cies
UnknownDecreasingStableIncreasing
Current Priority Species Indicator – BIYP 2012
What have we used in the past?
• Species List – UK BAP
• Approach – Best available information or expert assessment
• Coverage – Most BAP species
• Frequency – Last updated in 2008
What do we know about the status of threatened species?
~2900 Priority Species(S41, S42, SBL, NIBL)
Qualitative data (Tier 3)
Quantitative Data
Abundance data (Tier 1)
Distribution data (Tier 2)
Species Indicator?
Species Abundance Data – Tier 1
• Data availability– around 5% of threatened data– Covering a large proportion of
threatened birds, mammals, butterflies & moths
• Approach– Combine species indices using
a geometric mean similar to current biodiversity indicators
• Technical issues to overcome– Variable time periods– How to estimate variance
Priority List Abundance Data
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
Plants & FungiInvertebratesVertebrates
Num
ber o
f spe
cies
Qualitative Assessments – Tier 3
• Very important group of species, many of these species are those at greatest risk of extinction
• At present this group constitute a large proportion of threatened species
• Covers a wide range of species– Rare and range restricted – Challenging to survey– Lack of attention
Priority ListRed List Assessments0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
Plants & FungiInvertebratesVertebrates
Num
ber o
f spe
cies
Questions to think about
• We can produce composite indices charting changes in species abundance– How do we interpret this, does a
straight line mean a smiley face?– Can we use this to make more general
conclusions about the changing status of threatened species?
• How do we display and interpret the information generated from the three types of data?
• How will the data availability and analysis methods change in the coming years and how will this impact the indicator? 1 2 3 4
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
Distribution
Abundance
Qualitative Assessment
?
The Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland
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