C4. Status of threatened species

Summary

• The UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) was the UK’s national biodiversity strategy produced in response to the Convention on Biological Diversity.  The Plan identified a set of UK priority species as a focus for conservation action.  The indicator is based on the 371 species which were assessed between 1999 and 2008.
• An assessment of the status of the priority species has been provided every three years, between 1999 and 2008, by experts across the UK.
• A status assessment is available in at least one of the assessment years for 339 species. Thirty-two species had an unknown status over the period.
• Based on a comparison of the earliest available and most recent assessment for each species, the number either ‘stable’ or ‘increasing’ (in number or extent) has risen by 3.5 per cent from 202 to 214.  The number decreasing (or lost) fell from 137 to 125.  The number of species assessed as ‘increasing’ fell from 48 to 45.
• Of the 289 species for which an assessment was made in 2008, 88 were still declining and eight were lost from the UK since the Plan was published in 1994.  Those that were stable may have had populations well below target levels set in the Plan.
• The UK BAP was replaced in 2011 with a UK framework, with priorities set at country level, for example through the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.  A new indicator is being developed to reflect these country priorities.  

Indicator description

The indicator shows the change in status of the 371 priority species assessed between 1999 and 2008. Every three years, the status of each priority species was assessed by a range of experts across the UK.  The indicator assessment is based on the change in the status of 339 species for which a status assessment is available in at least one of the recording years.

The Plan was revised in 2007 and the number of priority species increased to 1,150, but assessments are not available for this extended list.  The UK BAP was replaced in 2011 with a UK framework, with priorities set at country level, for example through the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.  A new indicator is being developed to reflect these country priorities.

For many species, status assessments are not available for all recording years.  To make best use of available data, the change in status was assessed by comparing the earliest available assessment for each species, with the most recent.  The majority of the earliest assessments (74 per cent) were from 1999 or 2002.  The majority of the most recent assessments (85 per cent) were from 2008.

Of the 339 species in the indicator, the number that were assessed as either ‘stable’ or ‘increasing’ shows a small net increase from 202 to 214.  This modest change in the indicator is assessed as an improvement, although there was a slight fall in the number of species actually ‘increasing’ from 48 to 45.  The majority of species were reported in the same assessment category in both 2005 and 2008, although there has been some turnover of species over the period. 

In broad terms, the number of species that moved from the decreasing category to ‘stable’ or ‘increasing’ outweighed those moving in the other direction, but there are no obvious patterns in these changes.  Of the species that were declining in 2008, 66 were also declining in 2005.  Six species changed from declining in 2005 to 'lost' in 2008 (in addition to species lost prior to the publication of the Plan). 

This turnover between categories means that while the graph shows an increase in the number of species stable or increasing, it is not necessarily the same species which are improving.  Species that moved from ‘decreasing’ in 2002 to either ‘increasing’ or ‘stable’ in 2008 include the shrill carder bee (Bombus syvarum), great yellow bumblebee (Bombus distinguendus), reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) and the heath tiger beetle (Cicindela sylvatica). Very few species have moved from ‘increasing’ to ‘declining’ although there are some examples: Newman’s lady fern (Athyrium flexile) and fen orchid (Liparis loeselii).

The increase in number of species reported as lost, which came from the declining and unknown categories in 2005 iwas an additional cause for concern.  Table C4i shows the number of species reported in each category in 2005 and in 2008.

Relevance

The UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) was published in 1994 and was the UK’s national biodiversity strategy, prepared in response to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).  The UK BAP priority species were species of high nature conservation value that had restricted range or suffered significant population declines in the past.  The Plan set out targets for each species, reflecting the desire to maintain or increase their range and population size.  The UK BAP was replaced in 2011 with a UK framework.  Priorities for species and habitat conservation are now set at country level through country biodiversity or environment strategies.  Although each country selects its own priorities for action, these priorities are informed by the UK priority species lists and the very large amount of information that went into compiling them.

Background

Supplementary data from the 2007 Habitats Directive Report

Article 17 of the European Union Habitats Directive requires Member States to report every six years on progress made with maintaining and/or restoring favourable conservation status for habitat types and species of community interest.  The first assessment of conservation status of species and habitats listed on the annexes of the Directive was produced in 2007, and the next report is due in mid-2013.

Within the Habitats Directive, species can be listed on one or more of three annexes: 

• Annex II: Animal and plant species of Community interest whose conservation requires the designation of Special Areas of Conservation;
• Annex IV: Animal and plant species of Community interest in need of strict protection;
• Annex V: Animal and plant species of Community interest whose taking in the wild and exploitation may be the subject of management measures.

The UK reported on 89 species in the Atlantic biogeographic region in 2007.  In addition, 28 species classed as vagrants or occasional visitors (4 bats, 16 cetaceans, 4 turtles, and 4 seals) to the UK were not fully assessed.  Instead a paragraph of information was provided on the occurrence of each of these vagrant species.

The taxonomic breakdown of species to be reported for the UK is:

Of these, 16 species are marine (two marine algae (maerl), one turtle, two seals, 11 whales and dolphins), and the rest are terrestrial or freshwater.

Each individual species assessment requires information on four parameters, which are brought together using an evaluation matrix to form an overall assessment.  These parameters are:

• range;
• population;
• habitat for the species; and
• future prospects. 

Each assessment needs to conclude whether the species is in one of the following states:

• Favourable
• Unfavourable-Inadequate
• Unfavourable-Bad
• Unknown

Details of exactly what information is to be delivered, and how it should be formatted, is laid out in the report format and guidance note. 

JNCC published a summary of the conservation status of the species and habitats listed on the Annexes of the Habitats Directive after the 2007 results had been finalised, which incorporates a variety of analyses, for example by taxonomic group, or by Directive Annex.  The information below is a summary of the species listed on Annexes II / IV / V.  It is anticipated that comparative statistics will be produced when the next report is delivered in 2013. 

Figure C4iv.  UK conservation status assessments for the 89 UK species listed on Annexes II, IV or V of the EU Habitats Directive, assessed in 2007.

Source: Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Figure C4iv is based on the categories of status that can be reported.  However, it is likely to take a considerable time before species move from unfavourable conservation status to favourable conservation status, so information on trends is important to enable a judgement for unfavourable assessments as to whether they are improving or declining.  Information for each species on the threats and pressures that they are facing will be part of the evidence required to make this assessment of overall trend, as it will be particularly relevant to the future prospects parameter. 

• Unfavourable-inadequate but improving, and unfavourable-bad but improving were summed to form the category ‘unfavourable but improving’
• Unfavourable-inadequate and declining, and unfavourable-bad and declining were summed to form the category ‘unfavourable and declining’
• Unfavourable-inadequate, and unfavourable-bad assessments with no trend conclusion were summed to form the category ‘unfavourable’
• The favourable and unknown categories are the same as in Figure C4iv.

Figure C4v.  UK conservation status assessments for the 89 UK species assessed in 2007, showing trend in overall assessment.

Source: Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Further development planned

As a result of changes to the way the UK BAP is delivered the data collations used to keep the indicator updated are no longer available. 

Work is now underway, led jointly by Government bodies and by voluntary organisations, to develop a new indicator for threatened species in the UK – one that reflects the priorities in each of the four countries of the UK but makes best use of volunteer data collected at GB, UK or British Isles scale.

One option for augmenting the indicator is to make better use of existing data collation on the status of species listed in Annexes II / IV / V of the Habitats Directive – see supplementary data for information relating to the 2007 Article 17 report to the European Commission.  The next Article 17 report is due to be delivered in June 2013.  Another option is to use the data collated on the status of bird species – Birds of Conservation Concern. 

Goals and targets

Aichi Targets for which this is a primary indicator

Strategic Goal C. To improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity.

Target 12: By 2020 the extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and their conservation status, particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained.

Aichi Targets for which this is a primary indicator

None

Web links for further information