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

Abstract Target 4 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) calls for urgent management actions to halt human⍰induced 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…