Committing to REVERSE the current negative trends in THE RED list status of species.
#ReverseTheRed is the global movement that will ignite collaborative action and optimism to ensure the survival of all species we share this planet with and the ecosystems they live within.
Mission
#Reverse the Red will unite the tools, partnerships, and efforts needed to support countries to deliver post-2020 targets of: (Net species extinction risk stabilised by 2030, extinctions halted from 2020, and average population abundance of native species increased by 20% by 2030 and 60% by 2050)*
*CBD Species Target
Although the Reverse the Red strategy is still in development, this would be an umbrella initiative seeking to work with key partners towards the following goals:
- Engage conservation partners at national, regional and global levels to consolidate standardised tools and practices. Launch Reverse the Red as an umbrella mechanism for species and ecosystem conservation.
- Work with pilot countries to refine and roll out tools and collaborative strategies. Increase national-level capacity and commitment to utilising the Reverse the Red framework for target-based species and ecosystem assessments, planning and action.
- Empower in-country Reverse the Red partners to engage and activate their local communities with a diverse suite of optimism-driven, locally relevant pro-biodiversity educational resources, custom experiences, advocacy and behavior-change campaigns.
- Convene a regular global reporting mechanism and congress (forum) to report on and celebrate national progress in reversing species and ecosystems declines.
These goals would then provide the structure, tools, and basis for objective setting for a Global Species Congress.
Visit the official web site here
Species Conservation Works
A study led by IUCN SSC Post-2020 Biodiversity Targets Task Force explored the crucial theme of the impact of conservation action. Published September 9, 2020 in the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology, shows how effective conservation action slows extinction rates. Since 1993, at least 28 bird and mammal species would have been lost without intervention.
The study highlights the most frequently successful conservation approaches for these species. Twenty-one bird species benefited from invasive species control, 20 from conservation in zoos and collections, and 19 from site protection. Fourteen mammal species benefited from legislation, and nine from species reintroductions and conservation in zoos and collections.
Key findings:
- Extinction rates for birds and mammals would have been 3-4 times higher from 1993-2020 in the absence of conservation.
- This means that 28-48 species of birds and mammals are still alive today which would otherwise have been lost since 1993.
- However, it is not yet enough: 15 further bird and mammal species were driven extinct over 1993-2020.
- So, the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework needs to incorporate a goal for halting human-driven extinction.
