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EAD To Develop Red List For Key Species |
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The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, EAD, in collaboration with one the longest established environmental organisation in the world, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN, has begun work to develop an Abu Dhabi Red List for key species. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of species. Red listing is an elaborate and rigorous exercise that uses data and expert knowledge and standardised criteria, so EAD brought together over 25 specialists on species and habitats at a workshop this month, including a team of experts from the Species Survival Commission, Provita, and the IUCN Red listing Unit at Cambridge in the UK. "Red lists are important because they help guide conservation planning and the development of regulations for biodiversity conservation. At this workshop, we identified data gaps and allocated resources to be prioritised for data deficient species and ecosystems in Abu Dhabi," Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Executive Director of Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector, said. "The Abu Dhabi Red List would contribute to the national red listing process, both in terms of data and expert knowledge. Significant work has already been done in the region for many taxonomic groups, however, an up-to-date national or local assessment is still needed in order to support further actions and measures for the protection of key species at the local level,’ Dr. Al Dhaheri added. She added that the Red List would also contribute to achieving the target on habitat protection, as specified by the Key Performance Indicator, KPI, under Abu Dhabi Plan. Dr. Jon Paul Rodriguez, Chairman of IUCN Species Survival Commission, said, "One of the key areas of our work is to support national-level institutions to carry out conservation action, because it is at this level - not globally - that conservation policies are implemented." "Red Lists are the first step in the cycle, which must be later followed by the development of action plans, and project implementation. Along with EAD, we performed simultaneous evaluations of species and ecosystems, to better reflect the status of biodiversity and improve cost-effectiveness. We look forward to working closely with EAD over the next few years," Rodriguez added. |
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