Spineless Invertebrates as our natural capital Monika Böhm Ben Collen Rachael Kemp Jonathan Baillie Institute of Zoology LIVING CONSERVATION © George J. Reclos Invertebrate diversity... from small... Invertebrate diversity... to large... Invertebrate diversity... living fossils... Invertebrate diversity... living fossils... Invertebrate diversity... friends... © Trond Larsen © Nick Upton/naturepl.com Invertebrate diversity... foes... © Bryce McQuillan Invertebrate diversity... foes... © George J. Reclos Invertebrate diversity... foes... Invertebrates are all around us... © Nick Upton/2020 VISION/naturepl.com © Aniket Sardana © Nick Upton/naturepl.com Outnumbered! based on Scheffers et al. 2012 © Marco Bertolini Outnumbered! © Trond Larsen The unravelling underworld Human population growth and projections from UNFPA © Michael Tweddle/Tweddlefoto.com The unravelling underworld The vertebrate bias in conservation 17% Proportion of major organismal taxa in nature... 80% ... and in conservation literature The vertebrate bias in conservation Total funding per taxon provided by the EU LIFE+ Nature program Current IUCN Red List coverage 51,605 Fungi & brown algae 51,545 Plants 292,000 309,061 Species assessed Not assessed 1,291,708 Invertebrates 1,297,635 assessed not assessed 34,412 27,999 Vertebrates 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% IUCN Red List 2012.2 Monitoring the status of invertebrates Invertebrates in the Sampled Red List Index (SRLI) ca. 800 spp 1,500 spp 1,500 spp 1,280 spp 590 spp 845 spp 1,500 spp 1,500 spp Monitoring the status of invertebrates Vertebrates Invertebrates Plants Monitoring the status of invertebrates Infrastructure development Pollution Invasive species Climate change/ severe weather Dams/water management Habitat loss from agriculture Human disturbance Habitat loss from logging Fragmented habitat from service corridors Threats to invertebrates and proportion of threatened spp affected Does it matter? 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets Invertebrates as natural capital Stock of ecological wealth or environmental assets that sustain human well-being Pollinator Natural capital Ecosystem service Pollination Natural capital & ecosystem services in policy 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets Invertebrates as natural capital “What have invertebrates ever done for us?” Invertebrates and pollination Wild bees pollinate 71 of 100 crops that provide 90% of food supply to humans (in 146 countries) (FAO 2005 Protecting the pollinators, http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0512sp1.htm) In EU, 84% of crops rely on insect pollination Value of insect pollinators to global economy: €153 billion (Gallai et al. 2008 Ecological Economics 68, 810-821) Invertebrates and soils Global value of soil biodiversity: USD $1,500 billion (Pimentel et al. 1997 BioScience 47, 747-757) France: value of carbon stock in grassland soils: €320/ha/yr (Centre d’Analyse Stratégique 2009 Economic approach to biodiversity and ecosystem services. www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr) Invertebrates and waste removal In USA: Losey & Vaughan 2006 BioScience 56, 311-323 Invertebrates & pest control Pest control In USA: Losey & Vaughan 2006 BioScience 56, 311-323 Trichogramma wasp & cornborer Invertebrates and water filtration Single oyster can filter up to 124l of water in 24 hours – 85% of global oyster reefs have been lost (CBD 2010 Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, UNEP) Single unionid mussel can filter around 40l of water per day (Tankersley & Timmock 1993 Can. J. Zool. 71, 1934-1944) Invertebrates & structural habitat Coral reefs support around a third of described marine species and a quarter of marine fisheries (Wilkinson 2004 Status of Coral Reefs of the World; Spalding et al. 2001 World Atlas of Coral Reefs. UNEPWCMC) Tens of millions of people depend on coral reefs for protein intake and livelihoods (Salvat 1992 Global Environmental Change 2, 12-18) Ecosystem services from coral reefs estimated at $375 billion/yr (Costanza et al. 1977 Nature 387, 253-260) Invertebrates, food & food webs Direct food source for humans For marine macrofauna; supporting fisheries Invertebrates and materials/medicines Silk worm Conotoxins Mother of pearl Mollusc used for dye Invertebrates as natural capital “Apart from pollination, waste disposal, nutrient cycling, water filtration, food, medicines, textiles and dyes, pest control, and provisioning of structural habitat, what have invertebrates ever done for us?” Monitoring our natural capital Proportion of species Regional and National Red Lists: e.g. Europe EU LIFE+ Nature program focus on threatened species European Red Lists Increased opportunity for invert species conservation Invertebrate conservation – the road ahead EU Habitats Directive: 162 species Invertebrate conservation – the road ahead Bern Convention: 127 species Invertebrate conservation – the road ahead http://www.nationalredlist.org/ Invertebrate conservation – the road ahead http://www.nationalredlist.org/ Invertebrate conservation – the road ahead Capacity Innovation Noise Acknowledgements • The Rufford Foundation • Esmée Fairbairn Foundation • Our partners: • International species experts & IUCN SSC Specialist Groups • Photographers • Ellie Dyer, Felix Whitton, Anne-Marie Soulsby, Shane McGuinness, Gita Kasthala, Maiko Lutz, Ally Batchelor, Jez Smith, Fiona Livingston, Alison Beresford, Georgia Cryer, Ranmali De Silva, Harri Milligan, Kirsten McMillan, Amy Collins, Rebecca Herdson, Julia Thorley, Clare Duncan, Susie Offord, Dan Hall, Sophie Ledger, Elle Smith, Alice Fitch