13 May 2011: International experts gathered for a meeting organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) to discuss the development of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, tailored after the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The Red List of Ecosystems will seek to build links between ecosystems, livelihoods, health and well-being to guide and influence conservation and national development agendas. As part of the development of the new List, papers will be published in key scientific journals, and the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Categories, Criteria and Guidebook will be published in English, Spanish and French.

Experts at the meeting discussed examples from Australia, South Africa, the US and Venezuela, regarding the criteria for listing ecosystems, as well as the new List’s compatibility with the Red List of Threatened Species. At the 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress, a motion will be proposed calling for strengthening and consolidating the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems initiative. [IUCN Press Release]