Europäische Rote Listen als mögliche Grundlage einer Ermittlung von Key Biodiversity Areas

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are sites that contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity, encompassing the composition of biodiversity as well as ecological and biological processes. In 2016, the conservation and scientific community agreed upon a global KBA Standard, outlining five different criteria for identifying KBA sites. One of these criteria is the occurrence of species threatened with global extinction. The European Red List programme has assessed the extinction risk of more than 11,000 species from 19 taxonomic or functional groups of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants since 2007 – over 5,000 of these species are only found on the European continent. In Europe, KBAs have been identified for single species groups such as Important Bird Areas, Important Plant Areas, Prime Butterfly Areas or for multiple species groups including Critical Catchments for freshwater taxa as well as KBAs in Macaronesia and the Mediterranean region. Data from the European Red Lists were partially used as a basis for identifying these KBAs. However, the broad taxonomic coverage displayed in the Red Lists has not been fully exploited in informing KBAs. Those species not already included in KBA identification and which are threat-ened and endemic to Europe, were selected for the identification of additional potential KBA sites. In the present work, a total of 671 species of amphibians, saproxylic beetles, butterflies, mammals, terrestrial molluscs, plants and reptiles were chosen and their occurrences were recorded in the format of 100 km² grid cells. Spatial analysis of the resulting potential KBA sites was guided by three research questions: (1) Which spatial patterns do KBAs display when adequately representing European species threatened with extinction? (2) Are existing KBAs in Europe sufficient in representing species in the additional potential KBAs or is an expansion of KBA sites necessary? (3) To which extent are potential KBAs covered by protected areas? This analysis demonstrated that potential KBA sites are predominantly located in the southern half of Europe with a clear concentration in Macaronesia and the Mediterranean region. An evaluation of the spatial relationships among the taxonomic groups chosen, including potential surrogacy-target functions, remained inconclusive. Spatial overlap was high with protected areas, Critical Catchments and Important Bird Areas, and smaller with Important Plant Areas. Spatial prioritisation techniques confirmed the overall high spatial congruence of potential KBAs with protected areas and existing KBAs and indicate that adequate representation of European threatened endemics can to a large extent be achieved within existing sites. However, the coarse resolution of the chosen grid cells is susceptible to over- and underestimation of overlap and quality checks at a finer spatial resolution are recommended. Moreover, a species’ range being covered by an existing KBA or protected area, does not mean that the conservation needs of this species are appropriately addressed by site management activities. This thesis provides a dataset of potential KBA sites that can act as frame for a qualitative analysis and can be used as a baseline for KBA delineation and stakeholder consultations. The spatial framework presented here is another step towards conservation of European endemic and threatened vertebrates, invertebrates and plants, and ultimately towards halting the loss of biological diversity.Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) sind Gebiete, die wesentlich zum Fortbestand globaler Biodiversität beitragen. Das Konzept der KBAs umfasst sowohl die ver-schiedenen Elemente der Biodiversität als auch ökologische und biologische Prozesse. Im Jahr 2016 wurde ein KBA-Standard vereinbart, der fünf verschiedene Kriterien für die Identifizierung von KBAs verzeichnet. Eines dieser Kriterien ist das Vorkommen von Arten, die global vom Aussterben bedroht sind. Das Europäische Rote Liste Programm bewertete seit 2007 das Aussterberisiko von mehr als 11.000 Arten aus 19 taxonomischen oder funktionellen Gruppen von Wirbeltieren, Wirbellosen und Pflanzen – mehr als 5.000 dieser Arten findet man nur auf dem europäischen Kontinent. In Europa wurden KBAs für einzelne Artengruppen wie Important Bird Areas (Vögel), Important Plant Areas (Pflanzen), Prime Butterfly Areas (Schmetterlinge) oder für mehrere Artengruppen identifiziert, einschließlich Critical Catchments für Süßwasserarten sowie KBAs in Makaronesien und im Mittelmeerraum. Die Daten aus den europäischen Roten Listen wurden teilweise als Grundlage für die Identifizierung dieser KBAs verwendet, jedoch wurde die taxonomische Bandbreite der Roten Listen bei der Erfassung und Festsetzung von KBAs bisher nicht vollständig ausgeschöpft. Die Arten, die nicht bereits zur Schaffung von KBAs herangezogen wurden und in Europa bedroht und endemisch sind, wurden im Rahmen dieser Arbeit für die Identifizierung weiterer potenzieller KBAs ausgewählt. Insgesamt wurden 671 Arten der folgenden Artengruppen ausgewählt: Amphibien, xylobionte Käfer, Schmetterlinge, Säugetiere, terrestrische Muscheln, Pflanzen und Reptilien. Ihr Vorkommen wurde in Form von 100 km² Rasterzellen erfasst. Die räumliche Analyse der daraus resultierenden potenziellen KBAs wurde von drei Forschungsfragen geleitet: (1) Welche räumlichen Muster zeigen KBAs, wenn sie vom Aussterben bedrohte Arten angemessen darstellen? (2) Sind bestehende KBAs in Europa ausreichend, um Arten in den zusätzlichen potenziellen KBAs zu vertreten, oder ist eine Erweiterung der KBA-Kulisse erforderlich? (3) Inwieweit werden potenzielle KBAs durch Schutzgebiete abgedeckt? Die Analyseergebnisse zeigten, dass potenzielle KBAs überwiegend in der südlichen Hälfte Europas liegen und sich deutlich auf Makaronesien und den Mittelmeerraum konzentrieren. Eine Untersuchung der räumlichen Beziehungen zwischen den ausgewählten taxonomischen Gruppen und damit potenzieller Indikatorenfunktionen blieb ergebnislos. Die räumlichen Überlappungen potenzieller KBAs waren hoch mit Schutzgebieten, Critical Catchments und Important Bird Areas und geringer mit Important Plant Areas. Eine räumliche Priorisierungsanalyse bestätigte die insgesamt hohe räumliche Überschneidung potenzieller KBAs mit Schutzgebieten und bestehenden KBAs und zeigte, dass eine angemessene Repräsentation der in Europa bedrohten Endemiten weitgehend innerhalb bestehender Gebietskategorien erreicht werden kann. Die Größe der Rasterzellen ist jedoch anfällig für Über- und Unterschätzungen von Überlappungen, daher werden Qualitätskontrollen mit höherer räumlicher Auflösung empfohlen. Dass die Vorkommen einer Art durch ein bestehendes KBA oder Schutzgebiet abgedeckt sind, impliziert zudem noch nicht, dass der Schutz- und Pflegebedarf dieser Art vor Ort, z.B. durch Managementpläne, angemessen berücksichtigt wird. Diese Arbeit liefert gleichwohl einen Datensatz potenzieller KBA-Gebiete, der als Rahmen für eine qualitative Analyse dienen kann, die diese Aspekte berücksichtigt. Zugleich kann der Datensatz als Grundlage herangezogen werden, um unter Be-teiligung von Experten und Interessengruppen die Gebietskulisse von KBAs zu vervollständigen. Der hier vorgestellte räumliche Rahmen ist ein weiterer Schritt zur Erhaltung von Europas endemischen und bedrohten Wirbeltieren, Wirbellosen und Pflanzen und letztlich zur Erhaltung der biologischen Vielfalt

Spatial Data - potential European Key Biodiversity Areas

This dataset contains the spatial information for the dissertation on "European Red Lists and their potential to inform Key Biodiversity Area identification". Distribution data on species (amphibians, beetles, butterflies, mammals, molluscs, plants, reptiles) that are endemic to Europe and threatened with extinction was collected in 10x10 km grid cells

A multi-taxon analysis of European Red Lists reveals major threats to biodiversity

Funding Information: Funding: The European Commission (EC) has funded all European Red List projects. Co-funders of some of the assessments were National Parks and Wildlife Service, Republic of Ireland; Ministry of Economic Affairs, Department of Nature & Biodiversity (Ministerie van Economische Zaken, Directie Natuur & Biodiversiteit), the Netherlands; Council of Europe; Office fédéral de l’environnement, Switzerland; Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvardsverket), Sweden; British Entomological Society, United Kingdom; Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, Government of the Grand-Duché of Luxembourg; Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic; and ArtDatabanken from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The funders had no role in data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript, but the funding decisions determined the taxa that have been assessed. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Public Library of Science. All rights reserved.Biodiversity loss is a major global challenge and minimizing extinction rates is the goal of several multilateral environmental agreements. Policy decisions require comprehensive, spatially explicit information on species’ distributions and threats. We present an analysis of the conservation status of 14,669 European terrestrial, freshwater and marine species (ca. 10% of the continental fauna and flora), including all vertebrates and selected groups of invertebrates and plants. Our results reveal that 19% of European species are threatened with extinction, with higher extinction risks for plants (27%) and invertebrates (24%) compared to vertebrates (18%). These numbers exceed recent IPBES (Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) assumptions of extinction risk. Changes in agricultural practices and associated habitat loss, overharvesting, pollution and development are major threats to biodiversity. Maintaining and restoring sustainable land and water use practices is crucial to minimize future biodiversity declines.Peer reviewe

A multi-taxon analysis of European Red Lists reveals major threats to biodiversity.

Acknowledgements: The European Red List assessments have been compiled by numerous species experts, many of whom are affiliated with the IUCN Species Survival Commission and are listed as co-authors of the assessments on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or those of the EC. The designation of geographical entities in this paper, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or the EC concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.Funder: European Commission; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000780Funder: National Parks and Wildlife Service; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100012733Funder: Republic of IrelandFunder: Ministry of Economic Affairs; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004725Funder: Department of Nature & Biodiversity (Ministerie van Economische Zaken, Directie Natuur & Biodiversiteit), the NetherlandsFunder: Council of EuropeFunder: Office fédéral de l’environnement, SwitzerlandFunder: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvardsverket), SwedenFunder: British Entomological Society, United KingdomFunder: Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, Government of the Grand-Duché of LuxembourgFunder: Ministry of the Environment of the Czech RepublicFunder: ArtDatabanken from the Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesBiodiversity loss is a major global challenge and minimizing extinction rates is the goal of several multilateral environmental agreements. Policy decisions require comprehensive, spatially explicit information on species' distributions and threats. We present an analysis of the conservation status of 14,669 European terrestrial, freshwater and marine species (ca. 10% of the continental fauna and flora), including all vertebrates and selected groups of invertebrates and plants. Our results reveal that 19% of European species are threatened with extinction, with higher extinction risks for plants (27%) and invertebrates (24%) compared to vertebrates (18%). These numbers exceed recent IPBES (Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) assumptions of extinction risk. Changes in agricultural practices and associated habitat loss, overharvesting, pollution and development are major threats to biodiversity. Maintaining and restoring sustainable land and water use practices is crucial to minimize future biodiversity declines

A multi-taxon analysis of European Red Lists reveals major threats to biodiversity.

Biodiversity loss is a major global challenge and minimizing extinction rates is the goal of several multilateral environmental agreements. Policy decisions require comprehensive, spatially explicit information on species’ distributions and threats. We present an analysis of the conservation status of 14,669 European terrestrial, freshwater and marine species (ca. 10% of the continental fauna and flora), including all vertebrates and selected groups of invertebrates and plants. Our results reveal that 19% of European species are threatened with extinction, with higher extinction risks for plants (27%) and invertebrates (24%) compared to vertebrates (18%). These numbers exceed recent IPBES (Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) assumptions of extinction risk. Changes in agricultural practices and associated habitat loss, overharvesting, pollution and development are major threats to biodiversity. Maintaining and restoring sustainable land and water use practices is crucial to minimize future biodiversity declines