The Species Conservation solutions portal is co-coordinated by the IUCN Global Species Programme and EcoHealth Alliance/IUCN SSC Wildlife Health Specialist Group as part of the Protected Area Solutions for Biodiversity and Climate Change Project funded by theFederal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV)'s International Climate Initiative (IKI) .
Saving species comprehensively means preventing extinctions, conserving threatened species, and recovering depleted populations of more widespread and abundant species. There is ample evidence that conservation action works. Many species have been saved from extinction or had their status improved, native species and ecosystems have recovered following eradication of invasive alien species from islands, and habitats have been restored and rewilded. The last decade has seen an impressive array of innovation and new technologies, approaches, and solutions providing major opportunities to accelerate our collective impact on species conservation. By sharing experience and expertise, and committing the necessary resources more strategically, we can massively scale up success for species survival, recovery, and persistence at healthy levels.
The main threats to species are: destruction, degradation and fragmentation of natural habitats; unsustainable and/or illegal hunting, capture or harvest of species; invasive alien species; pollution; and increasingly, climate change and ocean acidification. In addition, existing and emerging infectious diseases are having an increasingly devastating impact on species, including humans. Human encroachment on wildlife habitats, land use changes, particularly for agricultural expansion and intensification, and trade and travel are among the major drivers of disease emergence and spread. Biodiversity-sensitive initiatives will be crucial for preventing disease risk and impacts.
For most threatened species, a combination of threat abatement and site protection will be enough to allow populations to recover. However, for some other species, typically those at highest risk of extinction, these measures alone will be insufficient. These species will require targeted interventions, for example through habitat management, supplementary feeding, provision of breeding sites, reintroduction into the wild, translocation, and ex-situ measures (captive breeding in zoos and aquaria, or propagation in botanic gardens).
The Species Conservation Solutions Thematic Community provides a platform for documenting species conservation success from all over the world. These case studies can be replicated, applied to inspire the best solutions for each species’ challenges, providing resources for the implementation of the Global Species Action Plan (GSAP).
Through PANORAMA, IUCN and EcoHealth Alliance initially aim to promote species conservation solutions with a focus on wildlife and human health, especially the link with zoonotic disease prevention, monitoring, detection and intervention.
Find out more about IUCN’s and EcoHealth Alliance’s work on species conservation and the GSAP.
Coordinators
