Red Lists versus nature protection Acts: new analytical and numerical method to test threat trends
Red Lists are the widest international tool to establish species extinction risks and conservation priorities. Chronological Red Lists comparisons have proved a useful strategy to assess biodiversity loss. Alongside Red Lists, nature protection Acts have been enacted in most countries. The information transposition from Red Lists to Acts would be the logical sequence. However, the similarities between these (Red Lists—Acts) have never been analyzed. In this study, an innovative method based on IUCN categories is proposed to easily compare biodiversity protection catalogs. This international method could use data from any taxonomic group, area or date. Firstly, a matrix method was implemented which objectively weighs taxa threat degree, and incorporates a statistical significance value after catalog comparisons. Moreover, each catalog threat category trends are assessed through an analysis of their temporal evolution and the threat types of species categories. Thereby, the relationship between scientists’ Red Lists, and nature protection legislation enacted by governments can be established. A study performed from such perspective could provide useful tools for integrating and comparing information from different sources. This study was located in Andalusia (Spain), a hot spot with a long tradition in flora conservation, where a vast amount of information about this subject has been published. Cluster analysis results showed that catalog typology was the most influential feature in clustering, rather than the publication date or the geographical framework. The results also supported that the expected relationship between Red Lists and Acts was not consistent, and demonstrated that threat categories included in catalogs had oftentimes contradictory trends.