Launched in 2021, the IUCN Green Status of Species is a complementary part of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, assessing how close a species is to being fully recovered (Grace et al., 2021, Conservation Biology, 35, 1833–1849; 2021, Oryx, 55, 651–652). This information, alongside the Red List classification of a species’ risk of extinction in the wild, provides a more complete picture of the status of species and the impact of conservation.
The Green Status of Species defines Fully Recovered as ‘a species that is viable and ecologically functional in every part of its range’. It thus incentivizes conservation to go beyond the first steps of preventing extinction and maintaining species’ viability, addressing the goal of restoring the functions of species within ecosystems. In addition to assessing a species’ current state relative to being fully recovered, the Green Status of Species uses hypothetical scenarios to estimate past and potential future impact of conservation action through four conservation impact metrics.
Like the Red List, the Green Status of Species is global, recognizing the combined impact of all past conservation actions on species status, highlighting species dependent on continued actions and forecasting expected gains from further conservation interventions. Nonetheless, it is common for conservation practitioners to seek to understand how their sub-global scale programmes contribute to global recovery, and to date there is no standardized method to assess the impact of a programme in this way. To address this, we have adapted the Green Status of Species for application at the programme level, providing a standardized way to understand the past and future impact of programmes in relation to the global recovery of species.
Based on a completed IUCN Green Status of Species assessment, a Programme Green Status of Species assessment estimates the contribution of past programme actions to global species recovery and what could be achieved by continuation of the programme and its actions. Working with colleagues across five international conservation organizations, members of the Green Status of Species–Species Survival Commission Integration Task Force have developed the method and guidelines for applying the Green Status of Species at the programme level. We are now looking for participants to (1) ensure the adaptations work for a range of different programmes and species, and (2) provide feedback on the framework and accompanying documentation.
If you are interested in assessing the contribution of your programmes to the global recovery of species, whilst contributing to the testing of the Programme Green Status of Species framework, we want to hear from you. Please contact Rebecca Young to register your interest in participating and to learn more about the programme assessment process.
We thank San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance for funding the development of this programme level framework.
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