IUCN’s Red List of Ecosystems gains speed 09 September 2012 |
International news release From Australia to Patagonia, from
coral reefs to rainforests and deserts, the new IUCN Red List of
Ecosystems will assess the status of ecosystems worldwide, to
identify their risks and the potential impact on both ecosystems
and human wellbeing. Modelled on the influential IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species™, the Red List of Ecosystems will identify
if an ecosystem is vulnerable, endangered, or critically
endangered, based on an agreed and internationally accepted set
of criteria for risk assessment. In addition to providing a
global standard for assessing the status of ecosystems, the
outputs of the Ecosystem Red List could also be used to inform
on the current and future threats to the services that such
ecosystems provide, such as clean water, climate regulation and
natural products. “Natural environments are under increasing
pressure from unsustainable use and other threats,” says Jon
Paul Rodriguez, Leader of the I