Linking restoration to the IUCN red list for ecosystems: A case study of how we might track the Earth's ecosystems

Abstract

Globally, ecosystems are in decline and a capacity to track this decline and the progress of ecosystem restoration at this scale is critical. The IUCN Red List for Ecosystems (RLE) is the accepted standard for global ecosystem risk assessments and potentially could be used to track progress of ecosystem restoration. Ecosystem restoration progress to date has been assessed by a diversity of techniques that do not provide a coherent link to risk identified in RLE assessments. This study assesses the potential of the RLE as a benchmark for tracking recovery for an ecosystem. This is demonstrated using a case study ecosystem with complex and challenging restoration requirements. Box Gum Woodlands (BGW) in eastern Australia are critically endangered but occur across a large geographic area, often as small remnants on private land. RLE assessments were used to assess the extent of restoration required and if key altered ecological processes relating to soil properties, fragmentation and climate change must also be mitigated. This assessment clarified the scale of work required, the importance of private land conservation and a range of other factors (soil status; fragmentation pattern; climate change) critical to successful restoration. It is concluded that the RLE can provide a powerful benchmark for restoration goals, but an important aspect of its use is a capacity to manage uncertainty.