IUCN

There is a short review of current approaches to extinction risk assessment. A number of rule-based and count methods are considered, their peculiarities, pros, and cons are revealed. Based on these traits some recommendations concerning diverse use of different methods are given, in particular, for management purposes, detection of major threats to species etc.

The Mediterranean region is one of the world’s great centres of plant diversity and its benign climates have attracted successive waves of civilisations, which have largely shaped our attitudes and ethics to the present day. Despite the effects of grazing, agriculture, deforestation, pollution, urbanisation and tourism, it has developed a wide array of plant landscapes. It is also one of the cradles of agriculture and a centre of origin and diversification of many of our crop species. Nowhere else on this planet has humankind been so closely and intimately linked to the environment. Despite the undisputed importance of plantlife, conservation policies often neglect plant diversity in priority setting, and concrete strategies to ensure plant conservation are still insufficient to face the growing pressures. The reasons for this situation are complex, including not only sociological and political factors but also scientific and technical ones. The aim of this publication is to provide...

Andrographis paniculata (AP) has been stated as a low-diverse, endangered and red-listed plant species. Self-pollinated mating system, being an introduced species and experiencing a bottleneck as well as over exploitation cause such a consequence. Inter and intraspecific hybridization has been suggested as essential techniques for generating genetic diversity. To test the effect of intraspecific hybridization on diversification and heterosis of AP, seven accessions were outcrossed manually in all 21 possible combinations. Three types of markers including morphological, phytochemical and RAPD markers were employed to evaluate the mentioned hypothesis. The results revealed that hybridization acted as a powerful engine for diversification of AP as it caused heterotic expression of the studied traits, simultaneously. Initially, it seems that additive and non-additive gene effects both can be considered as the genetic basis of heterosis in AP for the investigated traits. Agronomic and mo...

Discussed on the estimated costs and benefits of Giant Pandas conservation in Malaysia, ethics and conservation value of local endangered species. About equal numbers of respondents will got to see the giant pandas as those who have other alternative views.

The pandas have arrived for the Singapore exhibit, 6 Sept 2012. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1224317/1/.html.

For more than four decades the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has been assessing the global threat status for species and publishing the results in the periodically updated IUCN Red List of threatened species. Additionally, numerous countries have published national lists of threatened species, often based on IUCN criteria and guidelines for application of IUCN Red List criteria at regional levels. To assess how similar, or how different, national red lists are from the global red list, we compared threatened ...

The modern state and perspectives of ex situconservation of rare and endangered species of the Ukrainian flora in the context of implementation of the Global and the European Strategies for Plant Conservation are considered. The representation of rare plant species in collections of 13 botanical gardens and arboreta of Ukraine is analyzed. Several actions for improving the overall performance of botanical gardens in plant conservation are proposed; including the idea of establishment of a new botanical garden in the high–mountain zone of the Carpathians.

The Global Mammal Assessment (GMA) evaluates the risk of extinction for all species of mammals, providing important data on their status to national and global conservation agencies and conventions. We assessed all of the species of Brazilian rodents as part of the GMA activities of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) Small Mammal Specialist Group. A total of 234 species were evaluated against the IUCN Red
List Criteria and placed into one of eight categories. Although rodents do not have elevated extinction risk compared to mammals as a whole, several families of caviomorph rodents have high levels of either threat, data deficiency, or both. The family Echimyidae has a large number of species and one-third of those either are species of conservation concern or data deficient. The family Ctenomyidae also is of concern in this regard. There are also strong geographic patterns to threat and poor knowledge. The focal areas for conservation effort are the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, and for Data Deficient species Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Amazonia, in particular the eastern Amazon. The results highlight the need for targeted field research and the application of ecological and spatial data to the development of conservation actions.

This paper describes an integrated GIS-based methodology for conservation value assessment using the traditional species-based and a habitat-based multi-criteria evaluation. The methodology was applied to 49 small islands and islets in the East Aegean area, belonging to a SCI Natura 2000 site. The species-based (botanical approach) conservation status assessment attributes a specific weight to the parameter of endemism, while the

Sustainable development is rooted in the history of two divergent movements – for the preservation of nature, and for the conservation of natural resources – and of their relationship with the natural sciences. Ecology has played a central role in this history. As a societal paradigm that is at once ecological, political, and economic, sustainable development is supposed to embody ideal policy for all societies, and to overcome the opposition between these two diverging views of man‑nature relationships. An analysis of international texts devoted to sustainable development emphasizes certain fundamental, interdependent principles: true democracy, social sustainability, and respect for the resilience of ecological systems. Despite formal concessions to preservationists with the recognition of the intrinsic value of biodiversity, the sustainable development concept is clearly anthropocentric, and is in direct line of descent from conservationism. As its fundamental principles are not implemented in an integrated way, its ritual evocation fail to hide strong ethical and political contradictions, rendering it merely an impotent utopia.

The European Red List is a review of the conservation status of European species according to IUCN regional Red Listing guidelines. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level, so that appropriate conservation action can be taken to improve their status. This Red List publication summarises results for all hitherto described native European Orthoptera species (grasshoppers, crickets and bush-crickets).

Stopping declines in biodiversity is critically important, but it is only a first step toward achieving more ambitious conservation goals. The absence of an objective and practical definition of species recovery that is applicable across taxonomic groups leads to inconsistent targets in recovery plans and frustrates reporting and maximization of conservation impact. We devised a framework for comprehensively assessing species recovery and conservation success. We propose a definition of a fully recovered species that emphasizes viability, ecological functionality, and representation; and use counterfactual approaches to quantify degree of recovery. This allowed us to calculate a set of 4 conservation metrics that demonstrate impacts of conservation efforts to date (conservation legacy); identify dependence of a species on conservation actions (conservation dependence); quantify expected gains resulting from conservation action in the medium term (conservation gain); and specify requ...

(Centroglossa tripollinica (Barb. Rodr.) Barb. Rodr. (Orchidaceae: Oncidiinae): lectotypification and rediscovery in the State of Paraná, Brazil). The genus Centroglossa consists of six species, all endemic to the Atlantic Forest in southern and southeastern Brazil. It was known to occur in the State of Paraná based on three specimens of C. tripollinica collected by the Swedish botanist Per Karl Hjalmar Dusén at the beginning of last century. During recent fieldwork in Brazil, this species was rediscovered in Paraná. The aim of this article is to confirm the presence of C. tripollinica in the State of Paraná, provide a detailed description and illustrations of this species, and discuss its conservation status. A lectotype is designated for C. tripollinica.

This study aims at establishing a relationship between local and global environmental governance, based on Delmas and Young (2009). The focus is on the partnerships established between transnational conservation non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local organizations of indigenous peoples and traditional communities of the Amazon. By examining the legalization, we see how international legal instruments that address multicultural human rights and biodiversity conservation affect the reality of the peoples in the Amazon. We have taken up the lessons of Polanyi (2000) with the aim of understanding the relationship between economic and social systems. Concerning sustainable development, this study is based on Boulding (1966), Furtado (1998), Sachs (2002) and Martínez Alier (2007). Corroborating the transdisciplinary nature of this work, we seek to establish a dialogue involving anthropology, especially Sahlins (1997). The discussion herein contextualizes the dichotomy between “community and society”, proposed by Tönnies (1947) and Weber (2000), in an attempt to go beyond it. By analysing specific cases, special attention was given to the implementation of the FairWild Standard, a certification of sustainable wild collection of medicinal and aromatic plants, based on Convention on Biological Diversity and Non-Detriment Findings Process of CITES, in the Silves island (Amazonas, Brazilian state), with the following actors being directly involved: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Vida Verde da Amazônia Association (AVIVE), generating empowerment in local organization of women. This study has also looked at other cases of community certification, especially the approach adopted by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), in the category of Small and Low Intensity Managed Forests. The findings point to, in short, the potential of Forest Certification to suit and contribute to effectiveness of
and in ensuring the rights of traditional societies, seeking on the implementation of community-based sustainable development and environmental justice.

Preface:
IUED,  the  Graduate  Institute  for  Development  Studies  and IUCN,  the World  Conservation  Union,  have  with  funding  from RUIG-GIAN,  the Geneva  International  Academic  Network,  initiated  an  innovative partnership  on  knowledge  generation  for  pro-poor  and  equitable conservation. 
Poverty, rights and inequity a re fundamental challenges, which the
conservation  community  has addressed with varying success. Ranging from Integrated Conservation and Development Projects  to  policy
work,  which  seeks  the incorporation  of  environmental  sustanability in poverty reduction strategies, the entry points are multiple.
Poverty,  rights  and  inequity  are  integral  to  the  very  foundation  and focus  of  Development studies. IUED has a long tradition in providing critical analysis of both development thinking
and  practice.  Linking  such  knowledge  to  the  concrete  context  of  conservation  triggers  both  conceptual and methodological questions.
Seen separately, both conservation and development continue to quest both natural and social sciences, yet are bound to fail unless strong inter-link ages are built. Taken together, however,
they  pose  immense  challenges  in  terms  of  targeting  research,  harnessing  inter-disciplinarity  and identifying effective approaches.
What  are  the  effective  entry  points  to  simultaneously  address 
poverty,  equity  and  rights  in  conservation?
What are the important questions to be asked at the level of situation analysis? Where  do  we  lack  knowledge,  which  could  significantly  strengthen  equitable  and  poverty-focused  conservation?
What  is  the  role  and  impact  of  inclusive  processes,  partic
ipation  and  rights in conservation for poverty reduction? By  linking these  two  knowledge  institutions,  the  initiative seeks  to  build  a  bridge  between  critical academic  analysis  in  the development  field  with  policy  and  practice  in  the conservation  field. 
It  seeks  to  make  the  link  between  conceptual  and  theoretical  developments  and  the  practical  realities  faced  by  governments  and  the  wider  conservation  community  in  terms  of  reconciling  development  needs  and  sustainable  management  of  natural resources. One of the outputs of the collaborative initiative is a collection of empirical and theoretical perspectives on how to link equity,  poverty  and  conservation.This  paper  is  a  summarized version of conceptual thinking undertaken by IUED to explore the relevance of institutional approaches to conservation.

"The world is currently confronted by global and interconnected challenges.  A new publication charts the international processes as well as grounded practices that seek to build resilience in our communities and create more sustainable futures. This book is co-authored by Daniella Tilbury, Professor of Sustainability at the University of Gloucestershire and Dr John Blewitt from Aston University.

Se presenta un inventario florístico de la vegetación de pino-encino de la comunidad de Bazom, localizada en el municipio Huixtán, Los Altos de Chiapas, México. El listado comprende 353 taxa, repartidos en 95 familias, 235 géneros, 342 especies, tres subespecies, siete variedades y un híbrido natural. Se encontraron 55 especies bajo alguna categoría de riesgo, 52 de acuerdo a la IUCN y tres de acuerdo a la NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010. Los hábitos más frecuentes fueron las hierbas con 225 especies, seguido por los arbustos (66), árboles (47) y trepadoras (15). El mayor número de especies fue registrado en el bosque maduro (208), seguido por el pastizal (98) y el bosque mediano (93). Los hábitos menos diversos en los diferentes tipos de vegetación fueron los árboles y las trepadoras, mientras que las hierbas presentaron la mayor diversidad. El conocimiento de la flora de Los Altos de Chiapas sigue siendo una necesidad ante la pérdida de biodiversidad debido al cambio de uso de suelo.