title: A practical guide to the application of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems criteria.
abstract: The newly developed IUCN Red List of Ecosystems is part of a growing toolbox for assessing risks to biodiversity, which addresses ecosystems and their functioning. The Red List of Ecosystems standard allows systematic assessment of all freshwater, marine, terrestrial and subterranean ecosystem types in terms of their global risk of collapse. In addition, the Red List of Ecosystems categories and criteria provide a technical base for assessments of ecosystem status at the regional, national, or subnational level. While the Red List of Ecosystems criteria were designed to be widely applicable by scientists and practitioners, guidelines are needed to ensure they are implemented in a standardized manner to reduce epistemic uncertainties and allow robust comparisons among ecosystems and over time. We review the intended application of the Red List of Ecosystems assessment process, summarize 'best-practice' methods for ecosystem assessments and outline approaches to ensure operational rigour of assessments. The Red List of Ecosystems will inform priority setting for ecosystem types worldwide, and strengthen capacity to report on progress towards the Aichi Targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity. When integrated with other IUCN knowledge products, such as the World Database of Protected Areas/Protected Planet, Key Biodiversity Areas and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Red List of Ecosystems will contribute to providing the most complete global measure of the status of biodiversity yet achieved.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Apdo. 20632, Caracas 1020-A, Venezuela Provita, Apdo. 47552, Caracas 1041-A, Venezuela IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland IUCN Species Survival Commission, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland jonpaul@ivic.gob.ve jonpaul.rodriguez@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jon Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland IUCN Species Survival Commission, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage, Hurstville, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Keith
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Apdo. 20632, Caracas 1020-A, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Clark
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: Tracey J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Regan
authors.affiliation: IUCN, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Rebecca M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: IUCN, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Edmund G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Barrow
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: Lucie M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Bland
authors.affiliation: IUCN, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Kaia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boe
authors.affiliation: IUCN, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: Provita, Apdo. 47552, Caracas 1041-A, Venezuela.
authors.forename: María A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Oliveira-Miranda
authors.affiliation: The Nature Conservancy and Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spalding
authors.affiliation: IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Piet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wit
mesh_terms: D002965:Classification / Q000379:methods*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D056727:Endangered Species / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008954:Models, Biological; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*
keywords: IUCN Red List of Ecosystems; ecosystem conservation; ecosystem risk assessment; ecosystem types; risk of collapse; threatened ecosystems