How many where?
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
country conservation bodies, voluntary conservation organisations
and leading specialists, and led to the production of both
Red Data Books and National Reviews. The most recent of these was
The Odonata Red Data List
for Great Britain (Daguet, C., French, G., Taylor, P.,
(eds)) published in 2008.
As part of a wider review of JNCC’s work in
support of UK conservation standards, there is now greater clarity
as to our role in the assessment of species’conservation status,
specifically in relation to the production of Red Lists. Quite
obviously there is still a clear need to know how threatened
species are, so that appropriate conservation action can be
planned.
JNCC continues to recognise the merit in Red
Lists but will no longer initiate, lead, or produce the
taxon-specific scientific content of Red Lists. Apart from meeting
existing commitments, JNCC’s role will change to one of helping the
compilers of the lists to follow the IUCN process, as well as
understanding how the lists will be quality assured. JNCC will then
assess Red Lists with regard to process compliance.
What this means in practice is that JNCC will
carry out a robust quality assurance assessment to ensure that
draft Red Lists meet the strict scientific standards of the IUCN.
This includes tasks such as ensuring the correct application of the
IUCN Red List criteria, checking for scientific rigour and
confirming that there has been expert peer review of the Red Listed
species. JNCC will also provide guidance for those specialist
societies wishing to develop or revise such lists. When these
required standards are met, JNCC will offer endorsement of the work
and publication on the JNCC website.
Our strong partnership with the IUCN Species
Programme Red List Unit is invaluable in this quality assurance
role, and JNCC staff have recently undergone further training,
provided by IUCN, to strengthen our capacity to undertake the
quality assurance and guidance role.
For full details of the JNCC position, go to
www.jncc.gov.uk/page-1773,
where further resources on the role of Red List assessments and the
application of IUCN Red List criteria can be accessed.
Ant Maddock
Senior Biodiversity Officer
Tel: +44 (0) 1733 866936
Email: