Manu, S. A. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2026

Identifying and ranking species that need urgent management action to achieve Target 4 of the Global Biodiversity Framework

Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) calls for urgent management actions to halt humaninduced extinctions and enable species recovery. However, most Parties face substantial challenges in determining which species require urgent management actions. Here, we present a transparent, standardised protocol that identifies and ranks species most likely to need urgent management actions at the national level, using globally available data from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The protocol integrates four criteria aligned with Target 4: global extinction risk, rate of decline, population or range restriction, and endemism, to generate a national ranked list of species. Species scoring highly on these four criteria, and therefore most in need of urgent management action, are ranked most highly. We applied this method to all 250 countries and territories listed in the IUCN Red List and pilottested national rankings with participants from eight diverse countries. Across pilots, participants reported that the ranked lists were scientifically robust, timesaving, and valuable starting points for national prioritysetting, while stating the importance of national context, and the need for additional technical and financial support for implementation. Our results demonstrate that a sciencebased approach can meaningfully support Parties in identifying species requiring urgent action under Target 4, in a standardised way. With 2030 approaching rapidly, this protocol provides an immediate, practical tool to accelerate progress toward halting extinctions and advancing species recovery.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Major threats to a migratory raptor vary geographically along the eastern Mediterranean flyway

Millions of large soaring birds migrate from the Palaearctic to Africa every year, and follow distinct flyways around the Mediterranean Sea. While there is conservation concern for many long-distance migratory bird populations, the magnitude and geographic range of threats affecting birds along flyways are poorly known, which complicates efficient mitigation. We used an endangered soaring migrant, the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, as an example species to assess important threats in 13 countries along the eastern Mediterranean flyway. We tracked 71 birds using satellite telemetry to quantify mortalities, surveyed 4198 km of powerlines to detect dead birds, conducted 910 interviews to quantify the prevalence of poison use, and assessed the magnitude of direct persecution by surveying markets and hunters. We lost 44 birds (50% in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, 16% in the Middle East, and 34% in Africa), and mortality causes varied geographically. Inadvertent poisoning resulting from rural stakeholders targeting predators occurred along most of the flyway. On the breeding grounds in eastern Europe, poisoning and collision and electrocution continue to be major threats. Electrocution on small and poorly designed electricity pylons was most severe in Turkey, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia, while direct persecution to meet market demands for belief-based use of vulture products appears to be the largest threat in Nigeria and Niger. Illegal direct persecution for leisure is a major threat in the Middle East and Egypt. Although our work cannot quantitatively estimate which of the identified threats has the greatest demographic impact on Egyptian Vultures, none of threats are species-specific and are therefore relevant for many other migratory birds. Our assessment highlights the key threats per country that range states need to address to meet their obligations under the Convention of Migratory Species to protect migratory birds.

zoology↗