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Calculating population reductions of invertebrate species for IUCN Red List assessments

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Abstract

Population reductions are often used to assess extinction risk of species in the IUCN Red List. Guidelines for Red List assessments describe specific methods for calculating the amount of reduction for species with strongly fluctuating populations. Recently, an alternative approach that involves expert opinion has been suggested for calculating population reduction in insect species. We argue that, while populations with high temporal variability do present challenges, the alternative suggestion is unnecessary, and inconsistent with the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.

Implications for insect conservation

Consistent application of standardized methods for calculating population reductions allows robust and objective assessment of extinction risk faced by invertebrate species.

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Acknowledgements

This study contains UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) data © copyright and database right Butterfly Conservation, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, British Trust for Ornithology, and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. We thank Richard Fox for his help in obtaining the data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, New York, USA

    H. Reşit Akçakaya

  2. IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), Gland, Switzerland

    H. Reşit Akçakaya

  3. Trier University, Trier, Germany

    Axel Hochkirch

  4. IUCN SSC Invertebrate Conservation Committee, Gland, Switzerland

    Axel Hochkirch

  5. IUCN SSC Grasshopper Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland

    Axel Hochkirch

  6. Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA

    Jason T. Bried

  7. Dutch Butterfly Conservation, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Roy H. A. van Grunsven

  8. IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands

    John P. Simaika

  9. IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee, Gland, Switzerland

    John P. Simaika

  10. Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Brussels, Belgium

    Geert De Knijf

  11. IUCN SSC Dragonfly Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland

    Roy H. A. van Grunsven & Geert De Knijf

  12. Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, UK

    Sérgio Henriques

  13. IUCN SSC Spider and Scorpion Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland

    Sérgio Henriques

  14. Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research (CBER), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK

    Sérgio Henriques

  15. Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Sérgio Henriques

Authors
  1. H. Reşit Akçakaya
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  2. Axel Hochkirch
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  3. Jason T. Bried
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  4. Roy H. A. van Grunsven
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  5. John P. Simaika
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  6. Geert De Knijf
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  7. Sérgio Henriques
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to H. Reşit Akçakaya.

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Akçakaya, H.R., Hochkirch, A., Bried, J.T. et al. Calculating population reductions of invertebrate species for IUCN Red List assessments. J Insect Conserv 25, 377–382 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-021-00303-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-021-00303-0

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