Panelists:

• Nicholas Macfarlane (IUCN)
• Carol Poole (South African National Biodiversity Institute)
• Marcos Valderrábano (IUCN)
• Leander Raes (IUCN)

In the first session, Nicholas presented the STAR (Species Threat Abatement and Restoration) metric, a scalable tool developed to quantify how specific actions can reduce global species extinction risk. He explained how it is built on data from the IUCN Red List and assesses two key pathways: threat abatement and habitat restoration. Based on the number and habitat area of threatened species present, STAR provides a site-based score reflecting the potential contribution of that area to lowering species extinction risk. He demonstrated how the tool can help both public and private sectors measure progress toward global biodiversity goals (like the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework), set science-based targets, plan mitigation and offsets, and assess biodiversity-related risks and opportunities. He ended by highlighting ongoing improvements, such as higher spatial resolution and the integration of remote sensing data, that can enable rapid, verifiable, and meaningful contributions to a nature-positive future.

If you can’t measure it, it will disappear.

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The second session started with a brief introduction from Carol to a practical, adaptable approach to spatial biodiversity assessment and prioritisation that any country can use to support the implementation and monitoring of the Global Biodiversity Framework. She explained how the method relies on a few key spatial datasets and answers three fundamental questions: what biodiversity exists and where, what is its current state, and where and how to act first. Designed to guide policy, planning, and action, the approach is principle-driven, aiming for representativeness, persistence, and simplicity, while promoting stakeholder engagement and accessibility of results.

The session continued with Marcos’ presentation, which highlighted the importance of moving beyond species-level conservation to adopt an ecosystem-based approach using the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems (RLE). Developed in response to widespread ecosystem degradation and the limitations of species-focused strategies, the RLE provides a global standard to assess the risk of ecosystem collapse. He described how it helps identify which ecosystems are most at risk and informs policy and management decisions to prevent collapse. With over 5,000 assessments across more than 50 countries, the RLE uses five criteria to evaluate risks, from degradation to altered biotic interactions. It is closely aligned with the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (GET) and supports countries in implementing and monitoring the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by providing a consistent, science-based tool for tracking ecosystem health and guiding conservation action.

The collapse of ecosystems threatens not just individual species but entire communities, ecological functions, and human societies. […] If all countries use a similar approach to report on ecosystems, then a global understanding about the state and trajectory of ecosystems can be built-up from national data.

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In the third session, Leander introduced Natural Capital Accounting (NCA), a tool to assess ecosystem condition and estimate ecosystem service provision under different climate change scenarios. NCA helps quantify the outcomes of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and supports prioritizing actions and areas for intervention. He outlined how ecosystems are classified into condition groups and classes, using relevant indicators, and shared case studies from Juha Siikamaki, Matias Piaggio, and Guillermo Putzeys. A key example was a GCF-funded project in Guatemala’s highlands, aiming to build resilience to climate change by improving land use across 147,000 hectares, benefiting 132,000 people through forest landscape restoration and community-based sustainable practices.

Based on the condition of an ecosystem, a specific ecosystem will have larger or smaller capacities to provide ecosystem services.

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Together, these sessions reinforced a powerful message: science-based tools are essential for making informed, effective, and equitable decisions in conservation. From identifying where and how to act to protect species and ecosystems, to valuing nature’s services in economic terms, the STAR metric, the Mapping Biodiversity Priorities framework, the RLE, and NCA are enabling practitioners, governments, and communities to move from commitments to measurable action. As biodiversity loss and climate change continue to intensify, these integrated tools not only offer clarity and consistency but also the means to collaborate across sectors and borders toward a nature-positive future.

Explore the full recordings of the sessions for deeper insights and actionable recommendations.