Abstract

Population reductions are often used to assess extinction risk of species in the IUCN Red List. Guidelines for Red List assessments describe specific methods for calculating the amount of reduction for species with strongly fluctuating populations. Recently, an alternative approach that involves expert opinion has been suggested for calculating population reduction in insect species. We argue that, while populations with high temporal variability do present challenges, the alternative suggestion is unnecessary, and inconsistent with the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.

Implications for insect conservation

Consistent application of standardized methods for calculating population reductions allows robust and objective assessment of extinction risk faced by invertebrate species.

中文翻译：

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为IUCN红色清单评估计算无脊椎动物的种群减少

摘要

人口减少通常被用来评估自然保护联盟红色名录中物种的灭绝风险。《红色名录》评估指南描述了计算种群剧烈波动的物种减少量的具体方法。最近，已经提出了一种涉及专家意见的替代方法来计算昆虫物种的种群减少。我们认为，尽管具有高时间变异性的人群确实提出了挑战，但替代建议是不必要的，并且与IUCN红色名录类别和标准不符。

对昆虫保护的意义

持续采用标准化方法计算种群减少量，可以对无脊椎动物物种面临的灭绝风险进行有力而客观的评估。