Red Lists
The Species Status Assessment project was established by JNCC in
1999 with the aim of assigning conservation status to British
species. This task was undertaken in collaboration with the
statutory conservation agencies in partnership with voluntary
conservation organisations and leading specialists, producing and
revising both Red Data Books and National Reviews.
As part of a wider review of JNCC’s work in support of UK
conservation standards, there is now greater clarity as to our role
in the assessment of species’ conservation status, specifically in
relation to the production of Red Lists. Quite obviously there is
still a clear need to know how threatened species are, so that
appropriate conservation action can be planned.
So, JNCC continues to recognise the merit in Red Lists but will
no longer initiate, lead, or produce the taxon-specific scientific
content of Red Lists. Apart from meeting existing commitments,
JNCC’s role will change to one of helping the compilers of the
lists to follow the IUCN process, as well as understanding how the
lists will be quality assured. JNCC will then assess Red Lists with
regard to process compliance and our strong partnership with the
IUCN Species Programme Red List Unit will be invaluable in
performing this role.
What this means in practice is that JNCC will carry out a robust
quality assurance assessment to ensure that draft Red Lists meet
the strict scientific standards of the IUCN. This includes ensuring
the correct application of the IUCN Red List criteria, checking
scientific rigour and use of expert peer review. JNCC will also
provide guidance for those specialist societies wishing to develop
or revise such lists. When these required standards are met, JNCC
will offer endorsement of the work and publication on the JNCC
website.
Full details of the JNCC position, see below, where
further resources on the role of Red List assessments and the
application of agreed IUCN Red List criteria can be accessed.
The project manager for the Red List work is now
of the Conservation
Advice Team.
JNCC position in relation to
Species Status Assessment and the production of Red
Lists
Background
Species status assessments are a globally recognised way of
identifying conservation priorities. The principles underpinning
such assessments are that they should be objective and based on
scientific information, and that information on species
conservation status and distribution should provide the foundation
for making informed decisions about preserving biodiversity at
local to global levels.
Such assessments can take two forms, Red Data Books and Red
Lists (a component of the former, but also available as a
stand-alone product). Red Data Books provide a review of the status
of particular species groups at global, regional or national
levels, and incorporate Red Lists that catalogue all threatened
species in a particular area. The species are classified into
different categories of perceived risk: extinct, threatened, near
threatened or least concern.
JNCC has had a prominent role in the production of Red Data
Books and more recently stand-alone Red Lists. In most cases these
lists have been prepared and published in association with NGOs and
specialist societies.
Red List assessments of species status have been widely used by
agencies in site identification, by planning authorities in
development control, and in the revision of UK BAP priorities. The
coverage of taxonomic groups by Red Lists is not comprehensive and
their value in the above uses depends on maintaining up-to-date
assessments. The NGOs and specialist societies regard their work on
Red Lists as a key way of mobilising effort and influencing
decision making.
JNCC and the country agencies have supported the UK government
and devolved administrations in the review of priority species
completed in 2007, as part of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK
BAP). This review was based on the most up-to-date
information on species status and trends available, including
published Red Lists. The resulting list has been used to
inform conservation priorities at country and local levels.
JNCC is now working with the country agencies and other
partners, including NGOs, on the development and implementation of
risk-based surveillance that will provide a means of continuing
assessment of species most at risk. JNCC is also contributing
to the development of the National Biodiversity Network, providing
improved access to species data and enabling analysis of
conservation status from local to UK scales. JNCC is maintaining an
overview of information on the ecological status and trends of
species and a database of species conservation designations,
including the legal status of species, UK and country-level
priority lists, and Red Lists. Such publicly available information
allows other users, operating from local to global scales, to make
their own assessments of conservation priorities. JNCC’s main
focus on status assessment is in the context of UK BAP and in
relation to the Wildlife and Countryside Act (as amended) 1981
(specifically in relation to quinquennial review of Schedules 5 and
8). JNCC will be considering with the UK Biodiversity Partnership
Standing Committee the need for future reviews of the UK BAP
priority lists. JNCC will participate in any future reviews and
seek to ensure the scientific rigour behind the process, including
involvement of relevant external experts.
Proposed future role of JNCC in relation to Red Lists
Following the adoption of a new strategy earlier this year, JNCC
has been reviewing the work areas that it supports.
JNCC and the country agencies continue to see merit in Red Lists
prepared using the best available data, produced to common
standards and following best scientific practice, including
independent quality assurance. Subject to resources, JNCC will
continue to support species status assessments by partner
organisations with: advice on the use of common standards, such as
UK BAP or IUCN Red List criteria; provision of information on
status and trends from JNCC’s surveillance and monitoring
programme; and, guidance on appropriate quality assurance. JNCC
will assess Red Lists produced by NGOs with regard to process
compliance, i.e. correct application of Red List criteria,
including checking for scientific rigour and that there has been
appropriate quality assurance (i.e. expert peer review), and, if
the required standards are met, will be prepared to offer
endorsement of the work and publication on the JNCC website. Apart
from meeting existing commitments, JNCC will not in the future
initiate, lead, produce or quality assure the taxon-specific
scientific content of Red Lists.