EARTHTRENDS DATA TABLES For more information, please consult http://earthtrends.wri.org TECHNICAL NOTES: KNOWN AND THREATENED SPECIES DEFINITIONS AND METHODOLOGY Convention on Biological Diversity: Ratification data indicate the year the Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD), the first global agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, was ratified by each nation. The Convention establishes three main goals: the conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of the components of biodiversity, and sharing the benefits arising from the commercial and other utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment “biodiversity is defined as the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems (MA 2005: 18).” The convention is legally binding; countries that join it are obliged to implement its provisions, such as reporting on what has been done to implement the accord and the effectiveness of these activities. The national reports, particularly when seen together, are one of the key tools for tracking progress in meeting the Convention's objectives. As of April 27, 2005, there were 188 Parties to the CBD and 168 Signatures. More information is available on-line at http://www.biodiv.org/doc/publications/guide.asp. Total Number of Known Species refers to the total number of a particular type of species in a given country. These data are collected by United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC) from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to: national reports from the Convention on Biological Diversity, other national documents, independent studies, and other texts. Data are updated on a continual basis as they become available; however, updates vary widely by country. For all data, both endemic and non-endemic species are included. Endemic species are those species whose distributions are naturally restricted to a defined region. Introduced (non-native) species may be included. Data on Known Mammals refer to the total number of known, described, and recorded mammal species identified and documented in a particular country or region. Marine mammals are included where data are available. A mammal is defined as "any warm-blooded vertebrate having the skin more or less covered with hair; young are born alive (except for the small subclass of monotremes) and nourished with milk." Data on Known Birds refer to the total number of known, described, and recorded bird species that exist in a particular country or region. A bird is defined as a "warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrate characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings." Birds that migrate through or winter in a country are included. The number of Known Plants refers to all vascular plants. Mosses are not included. The number of Known Reptiles refers to the total number of reptiles identified, documented, and recorded in a particular country or region. Reptiles are cold-blooded vertebrates in the taxonomic class Reptilia and include tortoises, turtles, snakes, lizards, alligators, and crocodiles. The number of Known Amphibians refers to the total number of known, described, and recorded amphibian species identified and documented in a particular country or region. Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates that typically live on land but breed in water; aquatic larvae undergo metamorphosis into adult form. Amphibians include frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders. Data on Known Fishes refer to the total number of freshwater and marine fish identified, documented, and recorded in a particular country or region. The Number of Threatened Species listed for all countries are species facing a higher risk of global extinction; those which are critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable. These data are obtained from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which are determined using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. The IUCN World Conservation Union, the world’s largest conservation network, assesses the conservation status of species on a global scale in order to highlight taxa threatened with extinction. The IUCN classifies threatened species as "all full species categorized at the global level as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable", excluding introduced species, species whose status is insufficiently known (categorized by IUCN as “data deficient”), those known to be extinct, and those for which status has not been assessed (categorized by IUCN as “not evaluated”). The definitions for these categories follow: a) Critically Endangered: "When a taxon is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future as defined by any of the criteria A-E" (defined below). b) Endangered: "When a taxon is not Critically Endangered but is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future as defined by any of the criteria A-E." c) Vulnerable: "When a taxon is not Critically Endangered or Endangered but is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future as defined by any of the criteria A-E." For each threat category there are five criteria A-E used to assess species status. This provides a more rigorous approach from that used before revisions of the IUCN criteria. Species need to meet only one of the five criteria (A-E) to be listed under that particular threat category. The five criteria are: A- Declining population B- Small population and decline or fluctuation C- Small population size and decline D- Very small population/very restricted distribution E- Quantitative analysis (e.g. Population Viability Analysis) In addition, there are sub-criteria which provide further information on the reasons to list a species, potential causes of threat, etc. For more detailed information, please refer to the original source at http://www.redlist.org/info/categories_criteria2001.html#critical. The categorization of species included in the Threatened Species data are determined using the same guidelines as those for Known Species with one exception. Mosses are included in Threatened Plant Species; for Known Plant Species, they are not. FREQUENCY OF UPDATE BY DATA PROVIDERS Known Species and Threatened Species data are updated by IUCN on a continual basis according to the availability of new data. This data set provides species data for the year 2004, except for Known Fishes, which are for the year 2003. DATA RELIABILITY AND CAUTIONARY NOTES Data on Known Species of Mammals, Birds, Plants, Reptiles, and Amphibians are compiled by United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Center and are based on a compilation of available data from a large variety of sources. They are not based on species checklists and the number of known species are underestimates of actual values because only species with sufficient data are included here. Data have been collected over the last decade without a consistent approach to taxonomy. Additionally, while the number of species in each country does change, not all countries are updated systematically, and some data may not reflect recent trends. Data on Total Number of Threatened Mammals, Birds, Plants, Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fishes are underestimates of actual values because only species with sufficient data are included here. In addition, other species may be “near threatened” or may not be evaluated at all. Data on the total number of threatened species represent an accumulation of knowledge derived from previously published IUCN Red Lists, including the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals and The World List of Threatened Trees. In some cases, assessments are the product of group discussion, but often they represent the judgment of individual Specialist Group members. In order to ensure greater accuracy and transparency in the listing process, a peer review system of Red List Evaluators is used. The intention of the system is that the assessments of all species on the Red List are scrutinized and evaluated by at least two people from a designated Red List Authority. The Red List Authorities are responsible for ensuring that all species they are responsible for are documented and re-assessed at regular intervals. For more detailed information please refer to the original source at: http://www.redlist.org/info/categories_criteria2001.html. TECHNICAL NOTE REFERENCES Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Biodiversity Synthesis. World Resources Institute, Washington DC. SOURCES Convention on Biodiversity: Convention on Biodiversity. 2005. Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity/Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Montréal: CBD. Available on-line at http://www.biodiv.org/world/parties.asp. Known Species of Mammals, Plants, and Breeding Birds: World Conservation Monitoring Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-WCMC). 2005. Species Data (unpublished, September 2004). Cambridge, England: UNEP-WCMC. Threatened Species of Mammals, Birds, Plants, Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fishes: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), 2005. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available on-line at: http://www.redlist.org/info/tables/table5.html (IUCN: Gland, Switzerland).