Threatened Species PROGRAMME Threatened Species: A guide to Red Lists and their use in conservation LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AOO Area of Occupancy BMP Biodiversity Management Plan CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species DAFF Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EOO Extent of Occurrence IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature NEMA National Environmental Management Act NEMBA National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act NGO Non-governmental Organization NSBA National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment PVA Population Viability Analysis SANBI South African National Biodiversity Institute SANSA South African National Survey of Arachnida SIBIS SANBI's Integrated Biodiversity Information System SRLI Sampled Red List Index SSC Species Survival Commission TSP Threatened Species Programme Threatened Species: A guide to Red Lists and their use in conservation OVERVIEW The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List is a world standard for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species. The IUCN Red List, which determines the risks of extinction to species, plays an important role in guiding conservation activities of governments, NGOs and scientific institutions, and is recognized worldwide for its objective approach. In order to produce the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, the IUCN Species Programme, working together with the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and members of IUCN, draw on and mobilize a network of partner organizations and scientists worldwide. One such partner organization is the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), who, through the Threatened Species Programme (TSP), contributes information on the conservation status and biology of threatened species in southern Africa. The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria for identifying species at risk of extinction were extensively reviewed between 1991 and 1999, and the revised Categories and Criteria (version 3.1) came into use in 2001. All assessments submitted to the IUCN Red List must use this system. The system contains nine categories, with the main purpose of classifying species from lowest to highest risk of extinction. This manual takes you through the steps of the Red-listing process. Chapter 1 provides background information and various definitions related to threatened species work in South Africa. Chapter 2 provides detail on the IUCN’s system of Red List Categories and Criteria, as well as information on how assessments are conducted, and how Red List data are applied in species conservation. Finally, Chapter 3 provides some examples of Red Listed species in South Africa from taxonomic groups assessed by the TSP and its partner institutions. 1 Chapter 1: Threatened species conservation in South Africa SANBI’s Threatened Species Programme The Threatened Species Programme (TSP) is primarily Threatened aimed at fulfilling the South African National Species Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) mandate to monitor PROGRAMME and report on the conservation status of South Africa’s indigenous plant and animal species. The TSP co- ordinates the collection of information on species, particularly those that are not well known, such as reptiles, spiders and marine fishes, through projects involving volunteers from the public, as well as scientists, taxonomists1 and conservationists from partner institutions across the country. The data collected through these projects are used to assess species’ status according to the internationally accredited Red List Categories and Criteria developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In addition, the TSP co-ordinates and promotes the use of species information in all spheres of biodiversity conservation – from national and international conservation legislation and policy, to conservation planning, protected area selection, protection of threatened habitats, ex situ conservation2 programmes, and the development of Biodiversity Management Plans3 (BMPs) for species. What is a threatened species? Threatened species are often also referred to as endangered species. These are species that have been classified as ‘at high risk of extinction in the wild’. This means that if nothing is done to conserve them and their habitats, chances are very high that these species will go extinct. 1 A professional in the field of taxonomy, the science of describing and classifying plants and animals into species, orders, families, etc. 2 Breeding or growing species away from their natural habitats, for example in zoos or botanical gardens, with the purpose of re-introducing bred individuals to the wild 3 Legally binding management and conservation plans aimed at ensuring the long-term survival of specific species by assigning the responsibility of managing, monitoring, and reporting on the status of a species to a specific person or organization 2 SOUTH AFRICAN LEGISLATION What is a protected species? NEMBA contains a list of threatened or Protected species are species protected by international, national and protected species that are protected by provincial legislation. Hunting, picking, owning, importing, exporting, trans- national legislation. Species on this list porting, growing, breeding and trading of such species are illegal without are placed in one of four categories: valid permits or licences. The names of protected species are listed in inter- • Critically Endangered species – any national conventions, national acts and provincial ordinances. Examples indigenous species facing an include the following: extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future • The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which regulates the international commercial trade of species. A list of • Endangered species – any indigenous CITES-protected species can be obtained from www.cites.org/eng/disc/ species facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future, species.shtml although it is not a Critically • The list of threatened or protected species contained in the National Endangered species Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA). These are • Vulnerable species – any indigenous nationally protected species that can only be owned, hunted, picked, species facing an extremely high risk traded, imported, exported, transported, bred or grown with a valid of extinction in the wild in the permit. A list of NEMBA-protected species is available at medium term future, although it is not a Critically Endangered species or www.speciesstatus.sanbi.org/pdf/NEMBAToPslist23Feb.pdf an Endangered species • The list of protected trees of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and • Protected species – any species which Fisheries (DAFF). In terms of the National Forests Act of 1998, no trees in is of such high conservation value or natural forests, or tree species that appear on DAFF’s list of protected national importance that it requires trees, may be cut, disturbed, damaged or destroyed. Moreover, their national protection products may not be possessed, collected, removed, transported, exported, It is important to note that although the donated, purchased or sold without a licence granted by DAFF. A list of category names in this list are similar to trees that are protected in terms of the National Forests Act can be those in the IUCN Red List system, and their category definitions are broadly downloaded from www.dwaf.gov.za/Documents/Notices/30253c.pdf similar to those of the IUCN categories, they are not equivalent. This is because two different species classification Are all threatened species protected by law? systems are used: The IUCN Red List No. Species that can be legally protected are typically those that are system uses a set of five objective threatened due to activities that can be regulated by permits, such as hunting criteria based on biological factors to or trade. Species that are threatened due to other reasons, such as habitat classify species in terms of their risk of extinction, while species contained in loss, require other forms of conservation, and are usually not included in NEMBA, on the other hand, are catego- Government Gazetted4 lists of protected species. rized and listed based on expert opinion. Therefore, a species’ classification in NEMBA may differ from its Red List What is a Red List? category. Red Lists and Red Data Books are scientific publications that document the conservation status of species. They are based on a system that categorizes species according to their risk of extinction. Red Lists are not in themselves legislation to protect species, but are used to inform threatened species legislation. The idea of documenting threatened and extinct species originated in the 1940s with publications such as Extinct and Vanishing Mammals of the Western Hemisphere (Allen 1942). In 1956, the IUCN founded the Species Survival Commission (SSC), one of the oldest and largest commissions in the organization, to co-ordinate the documentation of extinct, endangered and rare species in Red Data Books. Initially, only a few selected species were included in Red Lists and Red Data Books based on recommendations by 4 Officially published by National Government scientific experts. By the 1970s, Red List categories were developed to 3 subdivide extinction risk according to degree of threat, as well as data uncertainty. However, species were still categorized according to expert opinion.