Iconic Species Index (ISI): a new wildlife-based indicator to support global conservation goals

Cinco, a rare jaguar that ranges between northern Mexico and southern Arizona. Still image captured by the University of Arizona Wild Cat Research & Conservation Center.

Identifying practical, yet meaningful biological indicators for global conservation has been a challenge. The proposed Iconic Species Index (ISI) tracks population trajectories of specific vertebrate species, including landscape engineers, apex predators, and other keystone species, producing a novel indicator to complement area-based targets within the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The core concept of the index is that a subset of area-sensitive species will strongly influence the structure and composition of ecological communities and processes. Due to their visibility and the visibility of their interactions with their environment, their persistence can be accurately monitored. The critical ecological roles played by these species gives them a high societal value, and their recovery will contribute to national and global conservation outcomes.

Emulating the Consumer Price Index, the ISI uses local measures to allow calculation of trends at higher spatial scales over time. An initial analysis revealed major gains in six of seven biologically important landscapes due to the presence of these 'iconic' species. Globally, 1000+ critically important sites, with a minimum area extent of 5,000 km2, were identified of which only 27% were protected. 31% of these areas overlap with Indigenous and Traditional Territories (ITTs), and it is proposed that the ISI may help increase finance flows to these areas. The ISI could underpin national conservation strategies, long-term monitoring programs, restoration targets, and the emerging Biodiversity Credits marketplace.

Lead scientist: Eric Dinerstein, CXL

Contribution authors: William J. McShea, Weiqian Gao, Anup Joshi, Samantha Strindberg, Bivash Pandav, Abhimanyu Madhusudanan, Shant Raj Janwali, Ashok Kumar Ram, Ganesh Pant, Chiranjibi P. Pokharel, Babu Ram Lamichhane, Kanchan Thapa, Shashank Poudel, Carlos Peres, Joao Campos-Silva, Robert Crabtree, Mathias Tobler, Sheng Li, Martin Wikelski, David Lindenmayer, Félix Pharand-Deschênes, Eric Wikramanayake, Neil D. Burgess, Alex Dehgan, Haley Mellin, Karl Burkart.