Few biodiversity indicators are available that reflect broadsense biodiversity rather than particular taxa at fine spatial and temporal resolution. State of nature 2016 british trust for ornithology. South africa, national parks were used as a reference for the biodiversity intactness index. For this scenario analysis, we have introduced several new or updated model features to the globio version as described by alkemade et al. The nations of the world have set themselves a target of reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. New biodiversity intactness index shows uk is one of most naturedepleted countries in world. The approach uses existing biome or vegetationtype classi. The biodiversity intactness index bii has been proposed as one measure for assessing the impact of different land uses on a broad range of taxa scholes and biggs 2005 the index represents the. Here, we propose a biodiversity intactness index bii for. Reporting of intactness can occur hierarchically at any level, using the same speciesspeci. Scholes and biggs 2005 the index calculates the impacts of a set of activities on a group of organisms by using relative changes in species richness. Measuring loss of biodiversity the expert way scidev.
The biodiversity intactness index bii is an indicator of the average. The local biodiversity intactness index is based on a purposebuilt global database of local biodiversity surveys combined with high resolution global landuse data. We have updated the measures we presented in the first state of nature report in 20, and in many cases have been able to bring in new datasets and improve the underlying data measuring trends of individual species. The variable plotted, biodiversity intactness index, is the modeled average abundance of originallypresent species, relative to their abundance in an intact ecosystem. From the hot arid deserts of the sahara, through the lush green rainforests of the amazon, to the ocean depths and bright corals, our natural world is a marvel of different landscapes, materials, colours and textures. Projecting terrestrial biodiversity intactness with globio. The biodiversity intactness index bii estimates, as a percentage, the.
The community abundance and compositional similarity model coefficients were multiplied to produce the abundancebased biodiversity intactness index bii, our biodiversity intactness metric. The biodiversity intactness index measures the average abundance of wild species relative to that in premodern times. Our planets diverse, thriving ecosystems may seem like permanent fixtures, but theyre actually vulnerable to collapse. Here, we propose a biodiversity intactness index bii for assessing progress towards this. France as a preparatory document for the leap technical advisory group. Pdf the biodiversity intactness index may underestimate. Version 20121204 1 alberta biodiversity monitoring institute.
Scientists are concerned with detail, reliability, replicability. Assessing biodiversity intactness at multiple scales. Scotland takes you on a trip around eight main habitats of scotland, highlighting some of the pressures on wildlife and giving numerous examples of how governments, nongovernmental organisations ngos, the private sector and the public are working together to bring back nature. An assessment of the potential biodiversity impacts from. Biodiversity an index of intactness request pdf researchgate. In this report, we take an indepth look at the status and trend of human footprint throughout alberta, and broken down by natural region and landuse framework planning region. The biodiversity intactness index may underestimate losses. The question of how many different species exist in a particular environment is central to the understanding of why it is important to promote and preserve species diversity.
The millennium ecosystem assessment assessed the consequences of ecosystem change for human wellbeing. Dr hayley clements has received the jennifer ward oppenheimer research grant to develop a research program aimed at quantifying a biodiversity intactness index for africa, through an africawide collaboration of biodiversity experts. Bob scholes and oonsie biggs of south africas council for scientific and industrial research published their biodiversity intactness index last week in nature. Pdf getting the biodiversity intactness index right. From 2001 to 2005, the ma involved the work of more than 1,360 experts worldwide. Such widespread transgression of safe limits suggests that biodiversity loss, if unchecked, will undermine efforts toward longterm sustainable development. New research published in the journal science and included in the state of nature report reveals that the uk has lost significantly more nature over the long term than the global average. Biodiversity research and science development methodology development, standards and protocols data analysis. Jungles can become deserts, and reefs can become lifeless rocks.
It also includes the indices abmi has developed to assess the intactness or deviation from reference condition for species, groups of species, and habitat features. It is an international initiative to draw attention to the global economic benefits of biodiversity. Biodiversity accounts and indices preliminary draft. The subsequent group of indices all relate to the biodiversity intactness index bii. How biodiversity accounts may be used to set policy targets for biodiversity and be an important element in biodiversity policy. This document summarizes all terrestrial protocols, including an overview of. Species not native to an area or not found in the natural habitat of an area will have no effect on the biodiversity intactness index they are intentionally excluded from the index. Changes in the biodiversity intactness index in tropical. This data is important because if biodiversity loss goes unchecked, it will undermine efforts toward longterm sustainable development. We estimate that land use and related pressures have already reduced local biodiversity intactness the average proportion of natural biodiversity remaining in local ecosystemsbeyond its recently proposed planetary boundary across 58. Biodiversity is itself a powerful indicator of a healthy and functioning ecosystem.
A novel system to tackle the problem may also identify key factors behind the changes. They say their method will help in determining progress towards the internationally agreed target of significantly reducing biodiversity loss by 2010. Due to its diversity of freshwater and marine ecosystems, the united states ranks particularly high in terms of fish species, while venezuela is one of the worlds most biodiverse countries when. The economics of ecosystems and biodiversity wikipedia. Request pdf biodiversity an index of intactness the nations of the world have set themselves a target of reducing the rate of biodiversity. Green1,2 and andrew balmford1 1conservation science group, department of zoology, university of cambridge, downing street, cambridge cb2 3ej, uk, 2rspb centre for conservation science, the lodge, sandy, bedfordshire sg19 2dl, uk, the biodiversity intactness index bii is a highprofile metric of an areas. The biodiversity intactness index may underestimate losses philip a. These results do not account for species that may have appeared in a given habitat over recent years.
In the second lecture of the series biodiversity in the age of humans, dr. Eu community of practice finance and biodiversity minutes. The biodiversity intactness index bii aubry and elliott 2006. The biodiversity intactness index bii, which estimates the average abundance of a diverse set of organisms in a given area relative to their reference populations, was proposed in 2005 in. Part of the biodiversity counts curriculum collection.
Featured the status of human footprint in alberta alberta biodiversity monitoring institute annual report 201819 abmi essentials. A uniform population of a single species of plants adapted to a. Global maps of biodiversity intactness index sanchezortiz et al. Safma regional, irreplaceability in the portugal assess ment, conservation. Andrew cabrinovic, miranda lowe, kenneth johnson, natalina bonassera, mia williams, charles sheppard. The abmi terrestrial data are collected for a wide variety habitats and species. The full text of this article hosted at is unavailable due to technical difficulties. Interlinkages between the european biodiversity indicators. An index describing the population trends of species of special conservation concern in the uk has. How to calculate a biodiversity index main content. Zipped ascii file of data used in figure s4 of newbold et al. The research will further explore where and how biodiversity loss links to human wellbeing, promoting.
Frontiers measuring forest biodiversity status and. A diagnostic account should provide regular information on all the important parts of an. Our key findings s pecies are the building blocks of our ecosystems and we regard them as the basic measure of how nature is faring in the uk. The economics of ecosystems and biodiversity teeb was a study led by pavan sukhdev from 2007 to 2011. Biodiversity in the dutch practice of costbenefit analysis cpb. Accessible explanation of the abmi biodiversity intactness index, including rationale, calculation, and use. The biodiversity intactness index bii indicates the average abundance of a large, taxonomically, and ecologically diverse set of naturallyoccurring species in a terrestrial area, relative to a baseline with minimal human impacts. The top 10 most biodiverse countries conservation news. On the refinement of biodiversity models and estimates of the biodiversity intactness index bii. These included composite measures such as the biodiversity intactness index in.
To estimate how the spatial patterns of forest change have affected biodiversity intactness, we used the layers of tree cover, loss, and gain during 2000. State of nature 2016 bristol natural history consortium. Its objective is to highlight the growing cost of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation and to draw together expertise from the fields of science, economics and policy to enable. Below, we describe how to derive reference conditions and calculate the intactness index. Mace the global community is committed to reducing the rate of loss of biodiversity, but how can progress be measured. Msc fellowship on quantifying africas biodiversity. Assessing biodiversity intactness at multiple scales r. In this document, baselines are applied as indicator baselines. The bii indicates losses of biodiversity between 17. Has land use pushed terrestrial biodiversity beyond the.
The ecological quality is measured by an intactness or robustness score, in a range. A biodiversity intactness index potsdam institute for climate impact. Bii is designed for use with data from a wide range of taxa and. The biodiversity intactness index bii, a broad based biodiversity indicator, was used to assess the biodiversity implications of transforming available land to biofuels. Biodiversity intactness within most biomes especially grassland biomes, most biodiversity hotspots, and even some wilderness areas is inferred to be beyond the boundary. Condition and trends of ecosystem services and biodiversity.
Global map of the biodiversity intactness index, from. Global maps of biodiversity intactness for the year 2005 abundancebased bii and richnessbased bii. The biodiversity intactness index bii reports how the average abundance of native terrestrial species in a region compares with their abundances before pronounced human impacts. This 30 minute video lists human activities and their threats to biodiversity. How to value biodiversity in environmental management. Download full publication view current publication. Manual for estimating species and habitat intactness at. Recently bii was mapped at a global scale by newbold et al and consequently. Pdf the nations of the world have set themselves a target of reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. Reyers2 1 csir environmentek, pretoria, south africa. Here, we propose a biodiversity intactness index bii for assessing progress towards this target that is simple and practicalbut sensitive to important factors that in. Cpb background document biodiversity in dutch cba practice. The index provides estimates of human impacts on the intactness of local biodiversity worldwide, and how this may change over time.
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