Assessing conservation success in government, policy, and business using the IUCN Green List of Species (Open KE Fellowship)

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I am working with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to develop the Green List - an assessment of species recovery which also evaluates the impact of past conservation efforts on species status, and the potential effect of future conservation actions. The Green List is the next stage in the evolution of the IUCN Red List, moving from assessing extinction risk to understanding the role conservation plays in species recovery. Red List assessments are used globally in planning decisions and to measure compliance with international treaties. My fellowship would help to ensure that the new Green List is utilised just as widely.One way that I will maximise the Green List's impact is to engage directly with the statutory agencies responsible for on-the-ground conservation of threatened species in the UK: Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, Countryside Council for Wales, and Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside (Northern Ireland). I will work with these organisations to evaluate their species conservation efforts using the Green List protocol. Outputs will include: (1) a "snapshot" of how UK species are currently faring, which can be tracked over time to create an index of progress; (2) assessment of the impact of past conservation spending (crucial given ongoing budgetary constraints); and (3) assessment of species' conservation dependence and long-term recovery potential, allowing for prioritisation and adaptive management. I have already initiated work with Natural England, and we are currently deciding which species to assess. They are keen to explore how the Green List can help evaluate progress towards targets outlined in the 25 Year Plan for the Environment. I will work with the other agencies to identify how the Green List fits into their national priorities.The second way that I will maximise the Green List's impact is by facilitating reporting of Green List species assessments. To create a useful resource, a large collection of assessments for a diverse and representative range of species must be amassed. Evidence of species recovery (or lack thereof) can then be used to demonstrate a country's progress toward targets set by international conservation agreements (e.g., the Convention on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development Goals) or to argue for regulation or deregulation of trade (e.g. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). In this fellowship, I will not only contribute assessments myself (Objective 1), but I will work with IUCN Species Specialist Groups (who will be responsible for Green List assessments in the long term) to introduce the concept and facilitate initial assessments of at least 200 species via workshops and remote interaction.The third objective of this fellowship will focus on Green List applications in the business world. Traditional funding models for conservation projects are being replaced by outcomes-based financing- a model in which impact must be measurable. Because the Green List explicitly measures the impact of conservation action, there is interest from conservation business partners (i.e., Zoological Society of London and Chester Zoo) to use the Green List framework to assess their conservation activities in light of this new financing model. Looking further down the line, I will also host focus groups for business stakeholders who currently use Red List data in their decision-making process. At these focus groups, I will introduce the Green List and seek participants' input on how it could be useful to business, so that when the Green List is finalised, it can be incorporated into tools for business as quickly as possible.This project will directly engage government and business end-users and improve the quality and quantity of information available to decision-makers, reflecting NERC's vision "to place environmental science at the heart of responsible management of our planet".