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    Biodiversity - Terrestrial Ecosystems
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State Indicators

Extension of terrestrial ecosystems

The Extent of natural terrestrial ecosystems can be a good indicator of the current state of a country’s terrestrial biodiversity. It is expected that larger areas of ecosystems include more species and, in turn, maintain viable populations, relative to the same ecosystem with smaller areas. The degree of conservation also affects biodiversity: areas with predominantly primary vegetation may harbor more species than those covered by secondary vegetation. This indicator is also used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, 2008), by OECD in its Key Environmental Indicators (OECD, 2004), by the U.K. in the UK Government’s Indicators of Sustainable Development (DEFRA, 2004), in Greece’s Report on Sustainable Development Indicators (NCESD, 2003) and in Denmark's National Strategy for Sustainable Development (Danish Government, 2003).


Mexican terrestrial species at risk


Due to the lack of data regarding the state of populations of species of flora and fauna in a given country or region, lists of endangered species have been used as biodiversity indicators by NGOs and governments of many countries. Under this scheme, endangered species represent the actual or potential reduction of the biodiversity in given a country or region (GESAMP, 1995, UNCSD, 1995, UICN, 2001). The indicator Mexican terrestrial species at risk shows the state of biodiversity for some taxa living in the country’s terrestrial ecosystems. The use of the number of threatened species is recommended by various international organizations (e. g. OCDE and ONU) and environmental agencies or ministries of many countries, including Mexico.