Red List of Ecosystems Thematic Group

Since 1950, humans have changed ecosystems at a faster rate than in any other period in history. Therefore, it is necessary that public policies have a solid foundation to curb or reduce these losses. However, efforts to monitor the status of ecosystems were hindered by the lack of a consistent scientific framework, with transparent criteria to identify which of these ecosystems were more likely to disappear. Upon recognition of this important scientific void, the IV IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona, Spain, 5-14 October 2008) approved a motion to initiate the development of a global standard for assessing ecosystem risk, which was officially recognized by IUCN in 2014.

The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) seeks to assess the healthy condition and threat levels faced by each ecosystem, as well as to identify the most effective management pathways to reduce risks and loss of biodiversity. Given the environmental that our planet is going through, the RLE is very relevant to better understand the dynamics and processes of ecosystems, identify which ecosystems are healthy and which are at risk of collapsing, identifying the main threats and possible ways to mitigate or eliminate their impact and monitoring the impact of conservation measures in order to identify the most effective and efficient ones.