Addressing the Biodiversity Paradox: Mismatch between the Co-Occurrence of Biological Diversity and the Human, Financial and Institutional Resources to Address Its Decline
Jon Paul Rodríguez,
Bibiana Sucre,
Kira Mileham,
Ada Sánchez-Mercado,
Nahomy De Andrade,
Simeon Bezeng Bezeng,
Carmel Croukamp,
João Falcato,
Pablo García-Borboroglu,
Susana González,
Paula González-Ciccia,
José F. González-Maya,
Lucy Kemp,
Mirza D. Kusrini,
Cristina Lopez-Gallego,
Sonja Luz,
Vivek Menon,
Patricia D. Moehlman,
Domitilla C. Raimondo,
Claudio Sillero-Zubiri,
William Street,
Amanda Vincent,
Yan Xie
Affiliations
Jon Paul Rodríguez
Provita, Calle La Joya, Edificio Unidad Técnica del Este, piso 10, oficina 30, Chacao, Caracas 1060, Venezuela
Bibiana Sucre
Provita, Calle La Joya, Edificio Unidad Técnica del Este, piso 10, oficina 30, Chacao, Caracas 1060, Venezuela
Kira Mileham
IUCN Species Survival Commission, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
Ada Sánchez-Mercado
Provita, Calle La Joya, Edificio Unidad Técnica del Este, piso 10, oficina 30, Chacao, Caracas 1060, Venezuela
Nahomy De Andrade
IUCN Species Survival Commission, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
Simeon Bezeng Bezeng
IUCN Species Survival Commission, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
Carmel Croukamp
Center for Species Survival Brazil, Parque das Aves, Av. das Cataratas, KM 17.1, Foz do Iguaçu 85855-750, Paraná, Brazil
João Falcato
Center for Species Survival Portugal, Oceanário de Lisboa, Esplanada D. Carlos I, 1990-005 Lisboa, Portugal
Pablo García-Borboroglu
Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos (CESIMAR), CONICET, Puerto Madryn 9120, Chubut, Argentina
Susana González
Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Genética, Montevideo 11000, Uruguay
Paula González-Ciccia
Center for Species Survival Argentina, Fundación Temaikèn, Ruta 25 KM 0,700, Belen de Escobar B1625, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mabula Ground Hornbill Project, P.O. Box 876, Bela Bela 0480, South Africa
Mirza D. Kusrini
IUCN Species Survival Commission, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
Cristina Lopez-Gallego
Colombia Species Specialist Group, IUCN Species Survival Commission, Bogotá 110851, Colombia
Sonja Luz
Center for Species Survival Southeast Asia, Mandai Nature, Singapore 110001, Singapore
Vivek Menon
IUCN Species Survival Commission, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
Patricia D. Moehlman
Equid Specialist Group, IUCN Species Survival Commission, Arusha 23102, Tanzania
Domitilla C. Raimondo
Threatened Species Unit, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Rhodes Drive, Newlands, Cape Town 7735, South Africa
Claudio Sillero-Zubiri
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK
William Street
Global Center for Species Survival, Indianapolis Zoo, 1200 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222-0309, USA
Amanda Vincent
Project Seahorse, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, The University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Yan Xie
Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOZ/CAS), No. 1-5 Beichen Xilu, Chaoyang Dist., Beijing 100101, China
Pressures are mounting for the adoption of a Global Biodiversity Framework that transforms conservation and sustainable use efforts worldwide. Underlying this challenge is the biodiversity paradox: biological diversity predominantly concentrates in the tropics, while human, institutional, and financial resources are primarily located at higher latitudes both north and south. Addressing the biodiversity paradox requires the expansion and mobilization of human, institutional and financial resources around the world. We outline a model championed by the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) that builds on the Species Conservation Cycle (Assess-Plan-Act-Network-Communicate) and recognizes that most conservation action occurs at the national or local level. Various strategies are applied to this end by the partners of Reverse the Red, a global movement that ignites strategic cooperation and science-based action to ensure the survival of wild species and ecosystems. The SSC contributes to Reverse the Red through two primary strategies: National Species Specialist Groups and Centers for Species Survival. By building on existing expert networks and catalyzing efforts with established local institutions, we aim to significantly expand capacity to implement conservation action at the national level and reverse the negative trends indicated by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the Red List of Ecosystems.