New IUCN guidance calls for ecological integrity to guide global biodiversity and climate action
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has launched new guidance on how to successfully incorporate ecological integrity into conservation policy and practice as part of a report produced by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), the Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), and the Climate Action Commission (CAC) Task Force on Ecological Integrity, with support from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Photo: WCS – Susan Walker
Ecological integrity describes how closely an ecosystem’s species, structure, functions, and ecological processes remain within their natural range of variation. Ranging from high to low, ecological integrity can tell us how well a natural place is still working as it should. A forest, river, grassland, or reef with high ecological integrity has its native plants and animals, physical features, and natural processes largely intact, and is able to handle normal disturbances, and to recover over time.
The WCPA/CEM/CAC Task Force on Ecological Integrity, co-chaired by John G. Robinson and Emily Nicholson, found that ecological integrity is the unifying principle for biodiversity conservation, climate action, and human well-being. However, its use in policy and planning has been limited by inconsistencies in how it is defined and measured. Prioritising high-integrity ecosystems and restoring the integrity of degraded ones, will produce stronger, more durable outcomes for conservation and augment the delivery of ecosystem services.
John G. Robinson, WCS Scientist and Co-Chair of the IUCN Task Force on Ecological Integrity, said: “The world has made ambitious commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, but success cannot be measured by simply counting the number of conservation areas established, the species protected, or the amount of land and water conserved. The real test is whether natural ecosystems – forests, grasslands, freshwater systems, and oceans – are maintaining or recovering the ecological integrity needed to sustain life. Do these places continue to support healthy wildlife populations, functioning ecosystems, and the natural processes that make life possible? By focusing on ecological integrity, we can make conservation more effective, and governments can be more accountable for results.”
“Ecological integrity asks a simple question: is this ecosystem still working, and can it recover from the shocks coming its way? Incorporating ecological integrity makes conservation policy focus on whether ecosystems are functioning and resilient, benefitting nature and people, especially under the climate overshoot,” said Dr Liette Vasseur, Chair of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management.
Ecosystems are dynamic – maintaining, enhancing and restoring their integrity allows them to retain their ability to withstand disturbances and recover. Integrity is negatively affected by many contemporary, extractive land uses, but also can be maintained by long-standing, low-impact stewardship – such as Indigenous management and restoration – which supports the ecosystem’s natural structure, functions, and biodiversity. The report encourages assessments to account for this history and knowledge.
“Ecological integrity can tell us whether protected and conserved areas are actually working, for nature and for the people who depend on them,” said Dr Madhu Rao, Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas. “It should be a crucial measure of success for 30×30.”
Ecological integrity is prominent in global agreements, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The report provides guidance on appropriate measures and metrics of integrity, and offers principles for measurement such as establishing clear baselines, using ecosystem-specific indicators, recognising scale, accounting for anthropogenic influences, and ensuring measurability and verifiability. Adopting these principles will allow the conservation of ecological integrity to be systematically incorporate it into national targets and plans.