RLE Categories & Criteria

Red List of Ecosystems as a Headline Indicator in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework:

On December 19 2022, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), setting the agenda for conservation and sustainable biodiversity use through 2050.

To ensure continuous progress, the CBD introduced an official monitoring framework featuring headline, component, and complementary indicators. For the first time, the Red List of Ecosystems, measured via the Red List Index for Ecosystems, has been adopted as a headline indicator.

Framework Structure

The GBF establishes a clear pathway toward global conservation goals:

●      4 Goals for 2050:

1.     Conserving biodiversity

2.     Sustaining nature’s benefits

3.     Equitable sharing of benefits from nature

4.     Securing sufficient resourcing and support for implementation

●      23 Action Targets for 2030: Key priorities include extensive ecosystem restoration, expanding protected areas to 30% of the planet by 2030, managing threatened species, and driving sustainable production and urban design.

Role of the Red List of Ecosystems

The Red List of Ecosystems serves as a primary metric across key areas of the framework:

Headline Indicator

●      Goal A: Supports ecosystem components to ensure the integrity, connectivity and resilience of all ecosystems are maintained, enhanced, or restored, substantially increasing the area of natural ecosystems by 2050 (alongside the extent of natural ecosystems).

●      Target 1: Helps Ensure that all areas are under participatory integrated biodiversity inclusive spatial planning and/or effective management processes addressing land and sea use change, to bring the loss of areas of high biodiversity importance, including ecosystems of high ecological integrity, close to zero by 2030, while respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.

Component & Complementary Indicator

●      Directly supports Target 2, Target 3, and Target 7.

Why This Matters

Over the last decade, the Red List of Ecosystems has expanded rapidly, covering:

●      60+ countries and territories with full assessments

●      4,000+ individual ecosystems evaluated

Its inclusion as a headline indicator marks a major milestone. It will accelerate country-level and global adoption, driving better spatial planning, monitoring, and conservation outcomes worldwide.

For more information about the GBF, visitt: https://www.cbd.int/gbf