Species Matter

Pat Monaghan, University of Glasgow, UK

Achieving Aichi: Scotland’s International

Biodiversity Targets to 2020 and Beyond

This talk:

• Why species matter

• Progress with Aichi Target 12

By 2020 the extinction of known threatened

species has been prevented and their

conservation status, particularly of those most

in decline, has been improved and sustained.

• Beyond 2020

Scottish Government aspires to be different –

to make Scotland a better for nature to thrive

AICHI Targets - ambitious and difficult to meet

Strategic Goal B – Targets 5-10. Reduce the direct

pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use.

None on track in Scotland

Strategic Goal C – Targets 11-13. Improve the status of

biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and

genetic diversity

1 of 3 on track in Scotland

• Core of biodiversity conservation

• Why should we care about

species loss?

• Lots of duplications - do we

need so many species?

• 90% species that ever existed

are extinct

• Extinction is a natural process

Focus on Aichi Target 12 – Extinction prevented.

More species than needed? Can we loose

species without affecting ecosystem function?

• Replication gives more ecosystem resilience to

environmental change

• Species ‘functionally redundant’ in one set of

conditions become pivotal in another

Fetzer et al. 2015 The extent of functional redundancy changes as

species’ roles shift in different environments. PNAS 112 ,14888–14893

Extinction natural?

Ceballos et al 2015 Accelerated modern human–induced species losses:

entering the sixth mass extinction. Science Advances 1, e1400253

Earth on brink of 6th mass extinction event?

Exceptionally rapid loss of biodiversity over last

few centuries – extinction 100-1000 greater than

background

Humans are super-predators & super-competitors

Darimont et al 2015 The unique ecology of human predators Science 349,

858-860.

Capacity for destruction of nature is immense

We need to care about anthropogenically

induced effects on:

• Species loss at global and at local level

• Substantial decline in species abundances

• Species displacement

• Species replacement

Species identity and distinctiveness matter

Increasing homogenisation – rise of generalists

Polar, temperate, tropical ecosystems over past

40+ years:

• Number of species in these ecosystems remains

the same – but actual species changing

• Not like for like – changes how ecosystems

function + more homogenisation – less resilience

Dornelas et al 2014 Assemblage time series reveal biodiversity change

but not systematic loss. Science 344, 296-299.

Oliver et al 2015 Declining resilience of ecosystem functions under

biodiversity loss. Nat. Comm. 6, 10122 (2015).

At local level - alpine

plants in Scotland

Britton et al. 2009. Biodiversity gains and losses: evidence for

homogenisation of Scottish alpine vegetation. Biol. Cons. 142 1728-1739

• changes over 20-40 years in a range of closed

alpine plant habitats

• number of species increased in most habitats

• but diversity at plot level decreased

• anthropogenically induced homogenisation -

decrease in specialist species, increase in generalists

Target 12 Extinction Prevented

• Main aim of biodiversity conservation

• Challenging – generally not succeeding in halting

biodiversity loss

• Data difficult to obtain – taxonomically limited;

relies on volunteers to track species indicators

State of Nature 2016 Scotland

• Reports on changes over long (ca 1970-2013)

and short (2002-2013) term.

Long term:

• 54% vascular plant species declined

• 39% butterfly species declined

• 44% bird species declined

• of ca 6000 species occurring in Scotland

assessed using Red List criteria, 520 at risk of

extinction from Great Britain

• Abundance of priority species in UK overall in decline

• Of 40 terrestrial species found in Scotland, 42.5%

had inadequate or bad UK assessment of status

• Some successful reintroductions

• Seabirds, waders, upland birds and

specialist butterflies in decline

• Woodland birds, geese, generalist

butterflies increasing

• Number of red –listed birds in Scotland

increased by 14 between 2009 an 2015

Mixed picture for farmland birds

• Several species span more than one habitat –

source/sink effects

• Timescale important. Scotland data from 1994,

England 1970

Scotland -

• goldfinch increasing – especially as garden bird

• big declines in e.g lapwing, oystercatcher

• dangers in lumping species with different ecologies

Scotland 1994-2016

Farmland

birds

UK farmland birds

1970-2016

Mixed picture for farmland birds

Scotland -

• 12 species decreasing, 1 stable, 14 increasing

• goldfinch increasing – especially as garden bird

• big declines in e.g lapwing, oystercatcher

• dangers in lumping species with different ecologies

Only 53% of protected woodland habitats in

favourable condition compared with 98% in

marine and 82% in coastal habitats

50% grassland protected features in

unfavourable condition

Beyond 2020?

Improve state of protected areas

Beyond 2020?

• Small proportion of marine, fresh water

and terrestrial areas protected - wider

countryside very important

• Policies for utilisation of aquatic and

terrestrial resources crucial

• Can improve management of uplands and

farmland in particular

Beyond 2020?

• Sustainable use of natural resources is not

the same as biodiversity conservation

• Need to be much more explicit about how

management strategies are to be linked to

biodiversity conservation.

Target 3: Incentives Reformed

‘A stringent policy exists that considers biodiversity interests but the degree to

which this restricts negative impacts in unknown.’

Target 4 Sustainable consumption and production

‘Although the use of natural resources is mentioned within the economic strategy, it

is unclear what measures are being taken to ensure that impacts are being kept

within safe ecological limits.’

Target 6 Sustainable Management Marine

‘...the strategies do not explicitly explain how they are linked to biodiversity..’

Target 7 Sustainable Agriculture, Aquaculture and Forestry

‘Agriculture and forestry have sustainable strategies in place, however the links

between how these ensure the conservation of biodiversity is not explicitly made

within the strategies.’

Need an explicit action plan for vulnerable species

• Species based strategies ‘old fashioned’?

• People care about species and habitats

• Ecosystem services approach useful for inclusion

of ‘value’ of nature in economic context

• Anthropocentric approach can be dangerous

• Conserving ecosystem function and services is

not same as biodiversity conservation

Species and habitats are at centre of

biodiversity conservation

Challenges ahead- need big vision

• Combination of approaches

• Encourage appreciation of intrinsic value of

nature – emotions motivate

• International perspective – not just for people of

Scotland and their economy

• Long view needed with short term incentives

John Muir

“The battle for

conservation will go

on endlessly. It is

part of the universal

battle between right

and wrong.”

: but people surprise us ......