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ECOSYSTEM INSIDER

Ecosystem Insider brings you news from the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management
September 2023 Edition
Dear CEM members,
We are glad to share with you the third trimestral issue of 2023 of the Ecosystem Insider Newsletter from the Commission on Ecosystem Management.
CEM Highlights
56th CEM Steering Committee
 

During 4 days in September, CEM hosted its 56th Steering Committee meeting in Sydney, Australia where the Steering Committee members, along with several group leaders, regional chairs, IUCN Secretariat and CSU staff and several members for Australian organizations came together to review the progress of CEM’s technical groups and regions, as well as to discuss several priorities for CEM’s upcoming months such as potential contributions to the 2030 Global Biodiversity Framework, and the application of the Global NbS Standard, among others. During the meetings, members from Australian organizations had the opportunity to showcase their work in the region and discuss potential alliances with CEM in areas such as NbS, RLE, restoration, marine and coastal conservation and others.

As part of the meetings Sydney, the team was invited to visit the Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences where they were introduced to the installations, labs and current projects which are being developed in the Institute. These included several NbS case studies, seagrass restoration and seahorse conservation initiatives as well as several engagement and citizen science projects to address the impacts of coastal and marine degradation and the mitigate the impacts of growing industries and developments in the country.
Launch of the 5th Global Forum on Ecological Restoration: Cultural and Social Approaches for Assessing Restoration Impact  
 

CEM’s Ecosystem Restoration Thematic Group launched an expert consultation process to examine the key role that cultural and social perspectives and approaches can have in defining and measuring restoration impact, as part of its biennial Global Forum series, hosted in collaboration with the Society for Ecological Restoration. The Forum launch was held as a side event at the Society for Ecological Restoration’s 10th World Conference on Ecological Restoration in Darwin, Australia on September 25th.
Thirty experts in the science, practice and policy of restoration spent a day sharing knowledge and perspectives during the in-person component of the Forum. Virtual sessions will follow. The Forum was designed to align with and contribute to the SER2023 theme: Nature and People as One – Celebrating and Restoring Connection, which “encourages us to consider our own relationship with nature and the interweaving of human and ecological wellbeing, as well as to reflect on and pay respect to the deep interconnectedness and reciprocity between nature and Indigenous and traditional communities around the world.”  Over the next 15-months, the Forum will include a series of virtual workshops to develop tools and guidance to measure and assess restoration impact from social and cultural perspectives. CEM members, Cara R. Nelson, Angela Andrade, and Liette Vasseur, who also assisted with the organization of the event, attended the forum as well as other CEM members such as Shane Orchard and Ian Convery.
First CEM Regional Chair Forum
 

On August 28th, CEM had its 1st CEM Regional Chair Forum. This was an excellent opportunity for all CEM Regional Chairs, Co-Chairs and Steering Committee members to share their experiences in their regions, challenges, and doubts, as well as to get to know other members, better understand the IUCN tools and platforms, and find potential collaborations which strengthen the bonds and impacts of the Commission. Thank you to all of those who joined and we hope to have these forums repeatedly to continue engaging better with our regions and members.
New Group Lead for the Wetlands Specialist Group
 

Tatiana Lobato de Magalhães, PhD, is a Research Professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (UAQ), QRO, Mexico has officially been appointed as the new group lead for the CEM Wetlands Specialist Group. Tatiana has specialised in wetland research and education for more than 12 years, with a strong focus on ecology, landscape genetics, and distribution of aquatic plants. Her work includes research projects, outreach, and teaching across the Americas, including the Amazon and Southern Brazil Highlands. She is an associate editor of an international book series (Wetland Ecology, Management, and Conservation by Springer), scientific journals and an International Chapter Co-Chair at the Society of Wetland Scientists. Welcome Tatiana to our team!
CEM Vice Chair for Latin America and Caribbean appointed as a IPBES Bureau member
 

During the 10th Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) plenary session in held in Bonn, Germany on September 2nd 2023, Dr. Bernal Herrera-Fernández, CEM Vice-chair Latin America & the Caribbean, was appointed as a member of the IPBES Bureau for the next three years. The IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body established by States to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development. The Mandate of the Bureau is set out in the functions, operating principles, and institutional arrangements of the platform. These can be found here. 
More CEM News
GEO Global Ecosystem Atlas meeting
 

Several members of the CEM Red List of Ecosystem thematic group, including Nicholas Murray (James Cook University, Australia), Mandy Driver (Independent consultant, South Africa) and Mark Tozer (NSW government, Australia), joined the Global Ecosystems Atlas Project Design Workshop, in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland on September 20-22nd. This was the second workshop, which seeks to consolidate ideas for the design and implementation of the Global Ecosystem Atlas project, led by GEO (Group on Earth Observation).
Global Red List of ecosystems assessments underway for Mangrove and Coral reef ecosystems
 

Global assessments of two important coastal/marine ecosystem are currently underway. A Global Red List Assessment of Mangroves is currently under revision with the first set of assessment now available on ecoevoRxiv (here, here , here and here). A global assessment of all coral reef ecosystems will take place in 2024, in a partnership between CORDIO East Africa, MSC, IUCN secretariat and CEM, building on the assessment of the coral reefs of the Western Indian Ocean.
New preprints on the Red List of Ecosystems
 

Two new preprints are available online from the Red List of Ecosystems thematic group. Rowland and colleagues examine the challenges of assessing risk of ecosystem collapse under a changing climate. They use case studies and theory to propose solutions to overcoming them. Nicholson and colleagues review the ways in which the Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) can support implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. RLE is a headline indicator for the framework, but it also provides critical data, knowledge and social benefits that contribute to 16 of the 23 targets, including spatial planning to stem loss (target 1), restoration (target 2), and protected area planning and expansion (target 3, also known as 30x30). They draw on case studies from around the world to provide evidence of the roles RLE can play in the Framework’s success.
New guidance aims to maximize benefits of ecosystem restoration
An online early (in press) version of new guidance on how to carry out restoration projects for the maximum benefit of nature and people was released on 27 September by CEM, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), in cooperation with twenty-two collaborative organizations. CEM’s engagement on this project was led by its Ecosystem Restoration Thematic Group. The publication, titled Standards of practice to guide ecosystem restoration: A contribution to the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030, presents over 300 recommendations and highlights key principles that are fundamental for long-term success across all types of ecosystems and restoration projects, from forests to oceans.
The key practices are organized by the primary components of the restoration process: assessment, planning and design, implementation, ongoing management and monitoring and evaluation.  By providing a common framework for all types of restorative activities, the Standards of practice build on and support restoration principles, standards, and other guidance developed for specific biomes and restoration approaches (e.g. ecological restoration, landscape restoration, nature-based solutions; see list in the appendix) and set the benchmark for a shared vision of restoration for the UN Decade.

The Standards of practice was released during the 10th World Conference on Ecological Restoration in Darwin, Australia. CEM authors include: Cara R. Nelson, Angela Andrade, Emmanuelle Cohen-Shacham, and Liette Vasseur.

Submit your contact information to receive the downloadable version after publication here. 
For further information, contact Cara Nelson, lead for the CEM Ecosystem Restoration Thematic Group.
Meet our CEM Group Leads – Jessica Walsh
 

As part of our new section “meet our Group Leads”, this month we are featuring Dr. Jessica Walsh, Group Lead for the newly established CEM Green Status of Ecosystems Task Force. Jessica is a Research Fellow at the School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Australia and heads the Conservation Outcomes and Decisions lab. Her broad research interests include evaluating the effectiveness of conservation management actions, developing decision-support and prioritisation frameworks, and identifying methods to strengthen the science-practice interface. Her research group is currently developing methods to assess the recovery potential of threatened ecosystems, optimising conservation actions for Australian woodland birds, and trialling new methods for more efficient evidence synthesis.

What is the Green Status of Ecosystems Task Force and what was the need for this TF?

In 2012, a resolution at the IUCN World Conservation Congress called for a method to systematically assess successful conservation of species, ecosystems and protected areas (WCC-2012-Res-041-EN). A Green List of Protected Areas and a Green Status of Species (GSS) have been developed. Given we are in the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and the specific focus on ecosystems within the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, now is the perfect time to develop assessment methods for a Green Status of Ecosystems (GSE).
The Green Status of Ecosystems Task Force was developed in 2022, is chaired by Dr Jessica Walsh and Dr Jessica Rowland, both from Monash University, and includes CEM and Species Survival Commission members with expertise on the GSS and the Red List of Ecosystems (RLE).

While the RLE assesses risk of ecosystem collapse, there is no standardised metric to evaluate ecosystem recovery. The aim of the GSE Task Force is to develop a method to assess the current recovery status, past conservation success and future recovery potential of individual ecosystems. In other words, the GSE will provide a measure of how close an ecosystem type is to being fully recovered, and how close it could get in the future under different conservation scenarios. The GSE would complement the RLE and the GSS, and would fulfil the third component of the 2012 IUCN resolution. The intention is to align the GSE as much as possible with the objectives, assessment methods and outputs of the GSS, but with modifications to ensure they are relevant to the recovery of ecosystems.

                  “the GSE will provide a measure of how close an ecosystem type

                    is to being fully recovered, and how close it could get in the future

                                        under different conservation scenarios.”       
 
What is the purpose of the GSETF?

The purpose of the GSE Task Force is to develop the GSE assessment framework and test the proposed approach with case study ecosystems. Importantly, GSE assessments will focus on the full distribution of an ecosystem type, rather than individual sites or projects, and the unit of assessment will need to align with a corresponding RLE assessment.
What are the short-term and long-term goals of the GSETF?

The GSE Task Force has conducted eight online workshops in 2023 so far to develop draft assessment methods. We are currently testing the methods with initial case studies, to understand the impacts of alternative approaches. Over the next few years, we will be refining the draft methods with more case study ecosystems across terrestrial, freshwater and marine realms, capturing a spectrum of data-rich to data-limited examples. We will garner support and input from IUCN members, the broader scientific community, policy makers and practitioners from conservation and restoration sectors. The longer-term goal will be to run a formal consultation process with IUCN members for their feedback on the draft Guidelines and Standards, before proposing that the GSE is formally adopted by the IUCN. 

How can people/members contribute to the GSETF?

In 2024, we will be looking for case study ecosystems across all realms to pilot and refine the GSE methods. Over the next few years, there will be multiple opportunities for CEM members to provide feedback about the GSE framework through seminars, conferences, workshops and the formal consultation process.
For more information, please visit the Task Force's webpage or contact Jessica Walsh or Jess Rowland.
Upcoming Events 
Forests Livelihoods, Assessment, Research, and Engagement (FLARE) Meeting
 

During the Forests Livelihoods: Assessment, Research, and Engagement (FLARE) Meeting, to be held between 12 – 16 October in Nairobi, Kenya, CEM will have several events led by CEM members including Doris Mutta, from the African Forest Forum and CEM Vice Chair for Africa, along with participation of Africa regional chairs, Joyce Jefwa, regional chair for East Africa, , Parfait Tchuenfo, regional chair for West and Central Africa, Somaya Ghoraba, regional chair for North Africa, and Samson Silantoi – from the Loita Naroosura Mosiro Maasai community.

The panels will include a diversity of topics, including the role traditional forest-related knowledge and its preservation for sustainable livelihoods in Africa, food security and rural livelihoods, biosphere reserves and their role in improving people’s livelihoods in Central and West Africa as well as a case study on the application of the Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) in assessing the status of ecosystems to address the importance of RLE tool in supporting conservation of natural ecosystems in Egypt.
CEM Dialogues
Project Tiger: Joining the Dots for India’s Wildlife Conservation
 

The CEM Dialogue which took place on September 23rd, was hosted by CEM South Asia and provided a retrospective of milestone initiatives undertaken by the Government of India during the last few decades to protect tigers and ensure the conservation of other endangered species and habitats under the ambit of Project Tiger. It also touched upon the future contours required for sustaining wild tiger habitats while recognising the tiger and its role as a mascot for livelihood, sustenance of natural resources, and preserving the socio-cultural ethos. India harbors approximately 75% global wild tiger population, and the population is increasing at an annual rate of 6% which is a case of success in conservation.
 
Watch the webinar here
CEM Dialogue on Experiences by YPs in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
This webinar sought to expose the work of several members of the CEM Young Professional Network from Mexico, Central America and their experiences as CEM members in conservation, research and citizen science. The webinar included talks from young professionals from over 5 countries in the region and included topics on science, research, policy and communication.
Watch the webinar here
Exploring Ways to efficiently adopt Ecosystem-based Approach to Fisheries and Aquaculture

The CEM Ecosystem-Based Aquaculture Specialist Group hosted a CEM Dialogue on how to address the needs for aquaculture and in conservation and management issues of aquatic environments. This webinar provided an understanding on the concept of ecosystem approach, to narrate the difference between the Ecosystem Approach and Conventional Approaches, and to clarify the proven benefits to individuals, communities and governments on adopting Ecosystem-based Approach.
Watch the Dialogue here
Ecosystem Restoration Webinar Series – Global Initiatives in Science and Practice
CEM’s Ecosystem Restoration Thematic Group (ERTG) is continuing to host its webinar series on the third Friday of the month at 12:00PM Eastern Time (UTC-4 or -5, depending on the season). Register Here if you have not previously participated in the webinar series.
If you have already registered for the series, the link to join remains the same each month and will be included in the reminder email.  Videos of previous sessions can be found on the Series YouTube Playlist. Subscribe and select “notifications” to get alerts when new videos are posted.

The ERTG would like your input on the series for 2024.  It is considering changing the time to Thursdays at 11:00 AM Eastern Time (UTC-3 or -4, depending on the season).  In addition, it is working on the list of topics to be presented and speakers. If you have ideas about topics, speakers, or the day and time of the webinar, please add them here.
Past Events 
3rd Local Youth Conference on Climate Change in Colombia
 

The Local Youth Conference on Climate Change - Colombia (LCOYCO3), supported by CEM is a momentous event that brings together leaders and activists from across the country under the age of 35 to address urgent challenges related to climate change. This event, which took place from September 28 to 30th in Bogota, Colombia, offered a valuable space for reflection, collaboration and the formulation of innovative solutions. Participants attended meaningful discussions and workshops, sharing their perspectives and knowledge to drive concrete climate action. To learn more about the event visit the official website here.
10th World Conference on Ecological Restoration
 

The Conference was held from September 26-30th in Darwin, Australia to discuss how degradation can be defined from various perspectives, what enabling conditions can be identified, and how to measure impact from a holistic approach. The Conference focused on the important, and often neglected connection between culture and nature, including the role of restoration in enhancing and rebuilding that connection.
Over 1,000 participants from 80 countries attended the event, demonstrating the growing importance of restoration initiatives globally in support of the UN Decade’s goal to restore 1 billion hectares of degraded lands worldwide.

“SER2023 has provided the UN Decade with a unique platform for engagement with academics, scientists, and practitioners at the forefront of ecosystem restoration,” said Natalia Alekseeva, Coordinator for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The event hosted over 700 talks, workshops and training sessions which explored restoration topics across all continents, ecosystems, and scales guided by SER’s International Principles and Standards.
Red List of Ecosystems Symposium at the International Congress for Conservation Biology - ICCB
 

Last July, during the 31st International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB) 2023, CEM organized the symposium IUCN Red List of Ecosystems in Africa: Application in Policy, Practice and Planning led by Somaya Ghoraba, Regional Chair for North Africa. The symposium included five case studies on RLE from Rwanda, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Egypt, aimed to showcase some of the diversity in approach and ecosystem from around Africa, which has become a leading region in applying the Red List of Ecosystems, through its diverse ecosystems, in a diversity of institutional settings, and from data-rich to data-scarce systems.
A work synergy begins between Mesoamerican CEM and IUCN Regional Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean: A training course on the application of the Nature-based Solutions Standard for IUCN staff in Latin America
 
As a fundamental part of the CEM work plan for the Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean region, a work synergy was established with the IUCN Regional Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (ORMACC) for the development of practical advisory for the “Application of the nature-based solutions (NbS) Standard within the “Resilient Highlands Project” (Guatemala)[1]. The first training was held on September 20th with the implementation of a virtual course to train the Project staff on of NbS general concepts as well as to train the IUCN technical team, on the IUCN’s NbS standard and the analysis of indicators.

This consultancy has the technical support of the CEM NbS Technical Group and the financial and technical support from the IUCN “Resilient Highlands Project” in Guatemala. As next steps, other training course will be carried out for governmental and non-governmental project partners. Likewise, as a core issue, the application and analysis of indicators of the IUCN Standard for NbS will be supported in five prioritized micro-basins where the project works. It is also expected to have inputs for the application of the Standard and the better understanding/ knowledge management on NbS.
SERT in the Resilience in the Anthropocene Summit
 
Manuela Ruiz, SERT TG co-lead, participated in the Resilience in the Anthropocene (RITA) online summit organized by the Loka Initiative and the Center for Healthyminds of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was part of the panel "The Planet Teaches Us: Principles of Ecological Resilience" which focused on "Building connections for and between inner, community, and planetary resilience." The speakers of this panel provided frameworks for resilience from their work in biodiversity conservation practice and academic political ecology analysis. You can watch the panel and the videos of the whole summit on here.
Latest publications

Understanding and Adapting Ocean Decade Action

To promote the ecosystem-based approaches for the management of coastal and marine ecosystems and to augment the sustainability in marine bioresources, we have to understand the United Nations Ocean Decade Action, to overcome the challenges faced by these ecosystems. In this context, a communication - Understanding and Adapting Ocean Decade Action, was published in Anthropocene Science by the IUCN CEM Ecosystem-Based Aquaculture Specialist Group. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44177-023-00059-z

How resilience is framed matters for governance of coastal social-ecological systems

Clement, S., J. Jozaei, M. Mitchell, C.R. Allen and A.S. Garmestani. 2023. How resilience is framed matters for governance of coastal social-ecological systems. Environmental Policy and Governance. https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.2056

Towards a global sustainable development agenda built on social-ecological resilience

Scown, M.W., R.K. Craig, C.R. Allen, L. Gunderson, D.G. Angeler, J.H. Garcia and A. Garmestani. 2023. Towards a global sustainable development agenda built on social-ecological resilience. Global Sustainability 6, e8, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2023.8

Global change scenarios in coastal deltas and their sustainable development implications

Scown, M.W., F.E. Dunn, S.C. Dekker, D.P. van Vuuren, S. Karabil, E.H. Sutanudjaja, M.J. Santos, P. Minderhoud, A. Garmestani and H. Middelkoop. 2023. Global change scenarios in coastal deltas and their sustainable development implications. Global Environmental Change 82: 102736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2023.102736

“Assessment Methods to Achieve Sustainability” Proceedings of the IAIA23 Conference Kuching Malaysia

Based on the four phases of the adaptive cycle, assessment methods are identified for when sustainability limits are threatened. While impact assessment is suitable for the exploitation phase before sustainability limits are threatened; cumulative impact assessment is suited to the accumulation phase as sustainability limits are being reached; resilience assessments are appropriate when systems are subject to disturbances that threaten their viability; and recovery assessments are required when sustainability limits have been exceeded and management interventions are needed in the reorganisation phase. The paper explores each with a case study. https://conferences.iaia.org/2023/edit-paper.php
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