Conservation Tool

IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology

The IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology is a comprehensive classification framework for Earth’s ecosystems that integrates their functional and compositional features. This new typology helps identify the ecosystems that are most critical for biodiversity conservation, research, management and human wellbeing into the future. 

 

In brief

The Global Ecosystem Typology is intended for policy, media and technical specialists interested in better understanding ecosystem dynamics.
Supported by maps, infographics and pictures, this tool makes ecosystems more accessible to all. It provides summary as well as in-depth information on notions such as realms, biomes, functional groups and more technical notions such as ecological drivers, distribution  that can help specialists to assess ecosystems.

The IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology allows to align ecosystem accounting, and ecosystem risk assessment.

© Graphic from https://global-ecosystems.org/

A six-level hierarchy

  • The three upper levels go from global to local scales. 
  • The three lower levels of classification are often in use in policy infrastructure at national levels.
  • Understanding this hierarchy is crucial, as important conservation action occurs at local levels, where most ecosystem-specific knowledge and data reside.
© Global Ecosystem Typology

The Global Ecosystem Typology is intended for policy, media and technical specialists interested in better understanding ecosystem dynamics.

Resources

The content of the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology website is drawn from the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (v2.0) and is a useful resource to classify ecosystems especially when assessing ecosystems for the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems.

Development of the typology

This typology was developed over more than two years, with an extensive development and review process initiated and co-ordinated by the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management. The initial structure of the typology was developed in May 2017 and funded by the PLuS Alliance. The review of the typological hierarchy was co-ordinated by the lead author (David Keith, University of New South Wales).

This consultation and review process was an extensive community effort, with “ecosystem leaders” engaged for all realms and biomes in the world, representing the collective views of global research networks, numbering hundreds of people. In all, some 30 specialists formally reviewed 1-14 ecosystem functional types each, with less formal comment and input received through a much larger group of experts at international conferences, workshops and meetings during 2017- 2019. 

Learn more about the consultative process.

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