Download Indicator name Freshwater species population trends index

Indicator name
Freshwater species population trends index
Challenge area
Example
Rationale
Ecosystems
WWDR3, Chapter 8, Figure 8.1; WWDR2, Chapter 5, Figure 5.2
A relatively simple, easy to communicate measure of changes in freshwater
biodiversity over time. Trends in freshwater species populations reflect the
health and quality of freshwater ecosystems and biomes on various scales.
State
The Freshwater Living Planet Index tracks changes in freshwater species found
in temperate and tropical freshwater ecosystems, since the baseline year of
1970.
The annual rate of change is calculated for each population. Then, the average
change across all populations is calculated for each year from 1970, when data
collection began, to 2007, the latest date for which data is available (2010).
The 2010 update includes data on 2,750 populations of 714 species of fish,
birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals divided into temperate and tropical
freshwater ecosystems, dating back to 1970 to show the trend over time.
The index is generated from the average change in population trends and
expressed as a number. The average value of 1970 (base year) is set as 1.
The index is a relative measure expressed in relation to the value at a set point
in time (preferably 1970 if data available).
Position in DPSIR chain
Definition of indicator
Underlying definitions and
concepts
Specification of data &
determinants needed
Computation
Units of measurements
Data sources, availability
and quality
Scale of application
Geographical coverage
Interpretation
Linkage with other
indicators
Alternative methods and
definitions
Related indicator sets
Sources of further
information
Loh J, Collen B, McRae L, Deinet S, De Palma A, Manley R and Baillie J.E.M.
2010. ‘Monitoring Biodiversity - the Living Planet Index’. In: WWF, ZSL
and GFN. Living Planet Report 2010. WWF, Gland, Switzerland
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report/
(Accessed 21 February 2012).
Mostly global, depending on data availability and quality, but also at the
regional and national level.
Global and regional.
The indicator describes the status and trends of a set of freshwater species. The
global freshwater LPI has declined by 35 per cent between 1970 and 2007,
more than either the global marine or terrestrial LPIs (Figure a). The tropical
freshwater LPI has declined by almost 70 per cent, the largest fall of any of the
biome-based LPIs, while the temperate freshwater LPI has increased by 36 per
cent (Figure b).
Linkages with other indicators could be pressure indicators for interpretative
purposes. The geographical link with water quality indices within the chapter,
but also with others from other chapters, such as water withdrawal, is
potentially valuable. Indicators on restoration and protection and management
are other valuable indicators of the success and failure of freshwater ecosystem
management.
Ideally, the extent of freshwater ecosystems should be part of the indicator.
However, data on freshwater ecosystems is only available for certain biomes
and habitats. For the majority even remote sensing data are incapable of
capturing changes in extent and quality. For population data often sufficient
data are lacking to cover all of the anticipated scope of the indicator.
Alternatively only more frequently available data on population trends of Red
Listed species can be generated to display a similar index. It has been known for
some time that the ecological character of an ecosystem is hard to capture by an
indicator, mainly due to insufficient qualitative information other than species
richness and trends.
Red List indicators
WWF, Living Planet Report 2010, Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP)
Available on http://www.twentyten.net/lpi (Accessed 21 February 2012)
IUCN Red List Index, Available on http://www.iucnredlist.org/ (Accessed 21
February 2012)
Freshwater Ecoregions of the World (FEOW),Global map of bio-geographic
regionalization of the Earth's freshwater biodiversity, WWF/TNC,
Available on http://www.feow.org/ (Accessed 21 February 2012)
Involved agencies
Conventional on Biological Diversity http://www.cbd.int/ (Accessed 21
February 2012)
WWF, Zoological Society of London (ZSL), UNEP, IUCN, UNEP-WCMC,
Wetlands International, CMS (The Convention on the Conservation of
Migratory Species),The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands