The Americas project continues to make progress. The typology and basic spatial data are now almost complete for both continents, excluding boreal North America, which is awaiting progress on the circumpolar boreal vegetation map. Descriptions of the 600 ecological systems have been reviewed and are complete for temperate North America and Mexico. These identify characteristic native biota and the principal threats affecting each ecosystem type. The ecological systems are each assigned to vegetation macrogroups to enable analysis at that level. The descriptions for the 200 units (based on vegetation macrogroups) in South America are in progress, and do not yet include information on key processes and interactions or threats, while those for Central America and the Caribbean are also ready as advanced drafts. The completed descriptions are expected to be ready by April 2014. Other available regional and global databases are being identified and downloaded in order to facilitate and complement the analyses (these include databases on 4 | Red List of Ecosystems Thematic Group global forest change and croplands, among others). Data analyses will commence shortly and results are expected to be available later this year. National Red List assessments are well advanced in several South and Central American countries. A preliminary Red List of Ecosystems assessment has been completed for El Salvador, while work is at varying stages in Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, and several large regions (states, watersheds) in Brazil.
A workshop was held in Australia to introduce the Red List of Ecosystems to agency representatives and establish a network of ecosystem scientists and spatial scientists. The workshop was sponsored by the Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS). The outcomes include a review of listing processes in existence across Australian jurisdictions, a new set of 11 case studies applying the criteria to a sample of contrasting terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems (see Annex 2) and groundwork for a strategy to carry out a systematic risk assessment for the Australian continent. These outputs are available early online in a special issue of Austral Ecology, which will be published by mid‐year 2015.
The RLE team is working closely with institutions in Norway, Finland, Switzerland and France in the implementation of national Red Lists of Ecosystems. Norway and Finland are producing updates of inaugural assessments published within the last five years, while France and Switzerland are initiating their first Red Lists of Ecosystems. A meeting was held in Helsinki in March 2015 to convene a planning group to initiate an arctic/boreal ecosystem specialist group and eventually a Red List of Ecosystems assessment project. Key interests 5 | Red List of Ecosystems Thematic Group were identified to take the idea forward to a strategic project description. IUCN is also providing input to a European Union project to develop a Red List of habitat types found in the EU28 nations. The RLE team has provided critical comment on the project’s listing criteria for habitat types and convened a training workshop for lead assessors in Brussels in June 2014.
In north Asia, a Red List case study has been completed for a tidal mudflat ecosystem spanning three countries around the Yellow Sea. The study has generated interest in Chinese research institutions and several collaborators have expressed interest in taking assessments forward to other priority ecosystems. Colleagues in IUCN’s China office are working towards increasing the exposure of the Red List of Ecosystems to governments when China hosts the first World Ecosystem Forum in the second half of 2015. Indeed there is also interest in China at the regional level to complete Red Lists of Ecosystems for administrative/political units.
In north Asia, a Red List case study has been completed for a tidal mudflat ecosystem spanning three countries around the Yellow Sea. The study has generated interest in Chinese research institutions and several collaborators have expressed interest in taking assessments forward to other priority ecosystems. Colleagues in IUCN’s China office are working towards increasing the exposure of the Red List of Ecosystems to governments when China hosts the first World Ecosystem Forum in the second half of 2015. Indeed there is also interest in China at the regional level to complete Red Lists of Ecosystems for administrative/political units.
In north Asia, a Red List case study has been completed for a tidal mudflat ecosystem spanning three countries around the Yellow Sea. The study has generated interest in Chinese research institutions and several collaborators have expressed interest in taking assessments forward to other priority ecosystems. Colleagues in IUCN’s China office are working towards increasing the exposure of the Red List of Ecosystems to governments when China hosts the first World Ecosystem Forum in the second half of 2015. Indeed there is also interest in China at the regional level to complete Red Lists of Ecosystems for administrative/political units.
A workshop was held in Australia to introduce the Red List of Ecosystems to agency representatives and establish a network of ecosystem scientists and spatial scientists. The workshop was sponsored by the Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS). The outcomes include a review of listing processes in existence across Australian jurisdictions, a new set of 11 case studies applying the criteria to a sample of contrasting terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems (see Annex 2) and groundwork for a strategy to carry out a systematic risk assessment for the Australian continent. These outputs are available early online in a special issue of Austral Ecology, which will be published by mid‐year 2015.
