Phytodiversität Deutschlands e.V. und Bundesamt für Naturschutz 2013). Thus, lists
of species categorized as being of national responsibility might also contain species
that went extinct at regional scales but still occur in other regions. For example, birds
such as Coracias garrulus and Lanius minor that occurred in almost all regions of
Germany in the beginning of the twentieth century and are now absent in most
regions of the country (cf. Fartmann et al. 2019) are not yet listed as species of
national responsibility.
At regional or national scales the number of native species per unit area (e.g. per
hectare, km
2 or 10,000 km
2 ) would be a rather simple measurement and indication of
the richness of a field or landscape. Clearly, the group of organisms or the list of
selected species (vascular plants, breeding birds, butterflies, or others) should be
predefined. Furthermore, the identification and calculation methodology (space,
time, identification key) has to be validated. For such an indicator it is not necessary
to define a threshold between low and high diversity, as the count itself could be used
as indicator of the biodiversity (cf. Underwood 2014).
3 Concepts, Strategies and Measures
There are various concepts and measures to protect nature, with different evaluation
methods are used to describe their effectiveness and success. In the following, a
selection of important strategies and applications is reviewed.
3.1 No Species Loss Strategy
A huge number of publications on environmental ethics warn about the loss of
species, the loss of ecosystem services, and the loss of cultural and economic values
that are linked to a declining number of species on Earth. However, regardless of any
justification for the protection of all species, one consequence of every global species
extinction is that this loss is irreversible, and irreversibility is contrary to sustainability (Mautner 2009; O’Brian 2010).
No species loss is a target used by different NGOs and governments of many
countries. The related programmes often focus on the protection of species that are
endemic and/or threatened in a region or country, and on ecosystems that harbour
these species.
Indeed, no species loss is not a single strategy but a comprehensive goal including
considerations about restrictions and investments, threatened species, their habitats
and partnerships, but also by measures directly eliminating e.g. exotic and invasive
species, and by captive breeding of rare and threatened species combined with a
release of individuals back to the wild. It can be described as the most important goal
of biodiversity conservation (e.g., Convention on Biological Diversity).
Environmental Indicators and Biodiversity Conservation Strategies
165
of species categorized as being of national responsibility might also contain species
that went extinct at regional scales but still occur in other regions. For example, birds
such as Coracias garrulus and Lanius minor that occurred in almost all regions of
Germany in the beginning of the twentieth century and are now absent in most
regions of the country (cf. Fartmann et al. 2019) are not yet listed as species of
national responsibility.
At regional or national scales the number of native species per unit area (e.g. per
hectare, km
2 or 10,000 km
2 ) would be a rather simple measurement and indication of
the richness of a field or landscape. Clearly, the group of organisms or the list of
selected species (vascular plants, breeding birds, butterflies, or others) should be
predefined. Furthermore, the identification and calculation methodology (space,
time, identification key) has to be validated. For such an indicator it is not necessary
to define a threshold between low and high diversity, as the count itself could be used
as indicator of the biodiversity (cf. Underwood 2014).
3 Concepts, Strategies and Measures
There are various concepts and measures to protect nature, with different evaluation
methods are used to describe their effectiveness and success. In the following, a
selection of important strategies and applications is reviewed.
3.1 No Species Loss Strategy
A huge number of publications on environmental ethics warn about the loss of
species, the loss of ecosystem services, and the loss of cultural and economic values
that are linked to a declining number of species on Earth. However, regardless of any
justification for the protection of all species, one consequence of every global species
extinction is that this loss is irreversible, and irreversibility is contrary to sustainability (Mautner 2009; O’Brian 2010).
No species loss is a target used by different NGOs and governments of many
countries. The related programmes often focus on the protection of species that are
endemic and/or threatened in a region or country, and on ecosystems that harbour
these species.
Indeed, no species loss is not a single strategy but a comprehensive goal including
considerations about restrictions and investments, threatened species, their habitats
and partnerships, but also by measures directly eliminating e.g. exotic and invasive
species, and by captive breeding of rare and threatened species combined with a
release of individuals back to the wild. It can be described as the most important goal
of biodiversity conservation (e.g., Convention on Biological Diversity).
Environmental Indicators and Biodiversity Conservation Strategies
165