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.
JNCC recognises the merit in Red Lists but no longer initiates,
leads, or produces the taxon-specific scientific content of Red
Lists. JNCC’s role is to quality assure Red Lists submitted to JNCC
for process compliance. What this means is that JNCC will carry out
a robust 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 and checking
scientific rigour (see below) but does not include assessing the
quality of the data used. Authors submitting draft Red Lists to
JNCC should ensure that the data used have been gathered and
treated according to scientific principles and following good
practice, are appropriate, and that these methods are regularly
reviewed and fully documented (see for example
NBN Data Quality). When these standards are met, JNCC will
offer endorsement of the work and publication on the JNCC website including
listing in the JNCC designations spreadsheet.
Below are examples of the issues that are examined by JNCC when
quality assuring draft Red Lists:
Version - That the 2001 IUCN version 3.1 was
used (see the
Red List website);
Terminology - That the correct IUCN
terminology was used – mainly refers to definitions which may
differ slightly but importantly from ordinary biological use;
Documentation - Correct referencing e.g. CR
A2c+3c; B1ab(iii) – which helps check that all appropriate
sub-criteria have been applied properly;
Data - A clear explanation of how data
were used to meet the criteria - includes data analysis/treatment
and any deviations from the process listed in IUCN version 3.1
(2001);
That the evidence used supports the criteria;
Classification - That categories were
assigned correctly – i.e. a check of the interpretation and use of
the data.
JNCC will also provide guidance for those wishing to develop or
revise such lists.
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
of the Biodiversity
Information 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.