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Stuart Butchart has indicated his intentions to step down as
Chair of the Red List Technical Working Group at the end of
2013, a position he has held since 2009. A replacement Chair
remains to be found for this critical position; a Chair is also
sought for the newly established Data Access Working Group
(which has been operating informally since its establishment
in early 2013), failing which the functions will be absorbed into
the RLC. Appointment of a Chair to replace Ben Collen on
the National Red List Working Group is expected soon, but
awaits further development of the National Red List Alliance
(see below).
Finally, Jeff McNeely stepped down as Chair of The IUCN Red
List Committee at the end of 2012 after serving for the 2009–
2012 quadrennium; Mike Hoffmann took over as Chair in 2013.
A number of institutional and personal changes in
circumstances have necessitated a few changes in membership
on the Committee: Barbara Goettsch (SSC plants
representative), Bruce Beehler (formerly with CI), Richard
Edwards (formerly with Wildscreen), and Piero Genovesi (coopted;
Global Invasive Species Database) all stepped down in
2013, and Rajeev Raghavan (as SSC freshwater representative),
Russ Mittermeier (with Peter Paul van Dijk as alternatve) as the
CI representative, and Domitilla Raimondo (as SSC plants
representative) joined; the Wildscreen representative will be
clarified once a new CEO is recruited. One co-opted slot will be
filled in early 2014 to bring on additional expertise in dealing with
and advising the investment and development banks.
Further details on membership, structure and the Terms of
Reference governing both the RLC and its individual Working
Groups may be found here: www.iucn.org/redlistcommittee
2013 key activities
The IUCN Red List Strategic Plan: 2013-2020
In 2012, IUCN Members passed Congress Resolution 5.017,
which provides general guidance to the activities of the RLC
over the coming quadrennium. Key among these was a directive
to “… complete the preparation of the Red List Strategic Plan
that would clarify agreed strategic priorities for The IUCN Red
List to the year 2020”. The Strategic Plan puts the goals of The
IUCN Red List into action, and forms a component of the IUCN
Species Strategic Plan 2013–2016. However, The IUCN Red List
Strategic Plan extends to 2020, reflecting the need for a longerterm
perspective, especially because the Convention on
Biological Diversity has agreed a Strategic Plan for Biodiversity
2011–2020, including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The
Strategic Plan sets forth ten key Results (each encompassing a
suite of targets) as measures of success.
Red List Technical Working Group
The Red List Technical Working Group met in-person 4–6
December 2013, with part of the meeting jointly held with the
Standards and Petitions Sub-committee. The two major items
on the agenda were: 1) follow-up to the mapping workshop held
in November 2011 and ensuing research, specifically to finalize
recommendations on how to calculate EOO from distribution
maps (for assessing species using the B1 criterion); and 2)
providing clarity on how to define what is “wild”, specifically as
concerns managed populations and conservation
translocations. The outcomes of these discussions will be
reflected in future revisions of The IUCN Red List User
Guidelines, as well as the “IUCN Red List Mapping Standards
and protocols” which are in development.
Data Access Working Group
An informal meeting of the Data Access Working Group took
place mid-2013 to discuss matters relating to: i) agreeing
conditions under which reposting of IUCN Red List data on
external websites for non-commercial uses is permissible;
ii) discussing any needed revisions to the Terms and Conditions
of Use; and iii) establishing a mechanism for tracking permission
waivers granted for use of IUCN Red List data. The outcomes of
this meeting have been endorsed by The IUCN Red List
Committee and will be implemented over the coming months.
Informatics Working Group
Still in its infancy, the RLIWG will have its first meeting on 27
January 2014. Under the Chairmanship of Lucas Joppa, the
preliminary membership of the working group has been
constituted, including representatives of IUCN Red List Partners
as well as external collaborators. One of the first priorities of the
RLIWG will be proposing an agreed set of priority technology
needs for resolution.
National Red List Working Group
Following the adoption of IUCN Congress Resolution 5.018, a
number of IUCN Members came together to propose the
establishment of a partnership of organizations convened
around promoting national Red Listing. This National Red List
Alliance will be governed by an overarching Memorandum of
Understanding, and strategic oversight of the Alliance will be
provided by a Coordinating Body, which itself will be subject to
an agreed set of Terms of Reference. This Coordinating Body
will serve as the NRLWG into the future.
Other
In addition to the above, The IUCN Red List Committee has
been advising on, among others: the development of The IUCN
Red List training course and materials; protocols for regional
Red Listing; and implementing a mechanism for making all
IUCN Red List species accounts permanently archived,
searchable and traceable via making all available as
downloadable PDFs with attached DOIs.
Towards 2014
The IUCN Red List Committee will meet sometime in the first
half of 2014, in the 50th anniversary year of The IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. Key agenda items include, among
others: strategic use of IUCN Red List updates for media
outreach and publicity; better engaging with finance institutions
on the efficient use of IUCN Red List data in decision-making
(EIAs, offsetting purposes etc); the need for a formal taxonomic
policy (e.g., a protocol or criteria or some such that groups are
encouraged or compelled to apply to ensure some critical
appraisal of proposed splits, mergers new species designations
and so forth); strategically targeting and supporting countries
with high diversity and endemism for increasing the number of
species on The IUCN Red List; and considerations for allowing
assessments in other languages. Needless to say, there will also
be considerable activity around The IUCN Red List 50th
anniversary.
Mike Hoffmann
Chair, IUCN Red List Committee
Report of the IUCN SSC Sub-Committees
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