The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has released new guidance calling for ecological integrity to become a central measure of success in global biodiversity conservation, climate action, and ecosystem restoration.
Developed by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), the Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), and the Climate Action Commission (CAC) Task Force on Ecological Integrity, with support from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the report provides practical guidance for incorporating ecological integrity into conservation policies, national biodiversity strategies, and climate commitments.
Released at the opening of the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD CoP17) in Yerevan, the guidance comes at a critical time as governments undertake the first global review of progress towards the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including its targets for protecting and restoring biodiversity by 2030.
Ecological integrity describes the extent to which an ecosystem retains its native species, natural structure, ecological functions, and processes within their natural range of variation. Ecosystems with high ecological integrity, including forests, grasslands, freshwater systems, and oceans, maintain healthy wildlife populations, sustain essential ecological processes, withstand natural disturbances, and recover over time. Protecting these ecosystems and restoring degraded ones are essential to delivering lasting benefits for biodiversity, climate resilience, ecosystem services, and human well-being.
The IUCN Task Force on Ecological Integrity, co-chaired by WCS scientist John G. Robinson and Emily Nicholson, identifies ecological integrity as a unifying principle for biodiversity conservation, climate action, and human well-being.
However, inconsistent definitions and measurement approaches have limited its application in policy and planning. The report addresses this challenge by providing a scientific foundation and practical principles for assessing ecological integrity, enabling governments and conservation organizations to set clearer, measurable, and verifiable goals.
John G. Robinson, WCS Scientist and Co-Chair of the IUCN Task Force on Ecological Integrity, said: “The world has made ambitious commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, but success cannot be measured by simply counting the number of conservation areas established, the species protected, or the amount of land and water conserved. The real test is whether natural ecosystems—forests, grasslands, freshwater systems, and oceans—are maintaining or recovering the ecological integrity needed to sustain life. Do these places continue to support healthy wildlife populations, functioning ecosystems, and the natural processes that make life possible? By focusing on ecological integrity, we can make conservation more effective and governments can be more accountable for results.”
Robinson added that the report provides a scientific foundation and practical guidance for placing ecological integrity at the centre of conservation decisions. He emphasized that conservation must protect not only species and habitats, but also the relationships and ecological processes that sustain them. Protecting remaining high-integrity ecosystems and restoring degraded landscapes must therefore become global conservation priorities.
Dr Liette Vasseur, Chair of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, emphasized the importance of assessing whether ecosystems remain functional and resilient, particularly in the face of increasing climate pressures. She noted that incorporating ecological integrity into conservation policy shifts attention towards ecosystem performance and recovery, delivering benefits for both nature and people.
Dr Madhu Rao, Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and Director of Protected and Conserved Areas at WCS, said: “Ecological integrity can tell us whether protected and conserved areas are actually working, for nature and for the people who depend on them. It should be a crucial measure of success for 30×30.”
Joe Walston, Executive Vice President of Global Conservation at WCS, also stressed that ecological integrity is a critical measure of whether conservation efforts are delivering meaningful outcomes. Protected areas alone cannot guarantee success if wildlife populations disappear, rivers become disconnected, or forests lose their ecological functions. In contrast, ecosystems with high ecological integrity can store carbon, regulate water, sustain fisheries, and improve resilience to climate change and other pressures. The report offers governments, donors, and conservation organizations a framework for planning, financing, and evaluating conservation investments based on the outcomes they deliver for nature and people.
The guidance highlights that ecosystems are dynamic and that their integrity can be maintained, enhanced, or restored. While intensive and extractive land uses can undermine ecological integrity, long-standing, low-impact stewardship—including Indigenous Peoples’ management practices and community-led restoration—can help sustain natural structures, ecological functions, and biodiversity. The report therefore encourages assessments to recognize the historical context of ecosystems and incorporate Indigenous and local knowledge.
To strengthen implementation, the report outlines principles for measuring ecological integrity, including establishing clear baselines, using ecosystem-specific indicators, recognizing differences in scale, accounting for human influences, and ensuring that assessments are measurable and verifiable. These principles can help countries systematically integrate ecological integrity into national biodiversity targets, conservation plans, protected and conserved area management, ecosystem restoration programmes, and climate policies.
With ecological integrity already recognized in global agreements such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the new guidance provides an opportunity to move beyond measuring conservation commitments by area or species numbers alone. By prioritizing the protection of high-integrity ecosystems and restoring those that have been degraded, governments and conservation partners can improve accountability, strengthen climate resilience, and achieve more effective, enduring outcomes for biodiversity and human well-being.
