RAPID ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (RAP)

Terrestrial Ecosystems

Freshwater Ecosystems

Marine Ecosystems

RAP Process• Assemble teams of scientists with expertise in the

taxonomy of plant and animal groups• Scientists are from universities and museums, both

international and national to promote collaboration and exchange of methods and ideas

• RAP teams rapidly assess the diversity of plant and animal groups in the field for 3-4 weeks (one week per site)

• RAP results are immediately distributed to conservation stakeholders to inform conservation actions and decisions

RAP Surveys: Since 1990, over 55 surveys completed

Terrestrial AquaRAP Marine

South America Africa Asia

Terrestrial Taxa

Plants

MammalsBirds

Reptiles

Amphibians

Insects

Aquatic Taxa

Aquatic and Riparian Plants

FishesAquatic InvertebratesWater Quality(Amphibians)

Taxonomic Groups surveyed during RAP Surveys

RAP Data

Species Richness (# species)

Species Lists Endemic Species

Rare SpeciesEndangered SpeciesIntroduced SpeciesCommercial Species

Habitat Heterogeneity

Regional comparisons of diversity

RAP Scientific Discoveries

•Average of 1013 species per RAP survey

•Discovered at least 500 species new to science, of which over 150 have been described and named

Distribution of RAP Results

• Preliminary RAP reportPreliminary RAP report - distributed to all conservation stakeholders within a month

• Final RAP reportFinal RAP report - published in the

RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment series ideally within a year of RAP survey

• Final Final RAP dataRAP data are available on the internet in a searchable database (rap.conservation.org)

• All RAP reports are available in pdf format online at www.biodiversityscience.org/rap

RAP Objectives

Collect Biodiversity Data for Unknown Areas

Data used to: Identify Priorities for Conservation Provide scientific justification for

protecting an area Contribute to management plans Fill in taxonomic gaps Highlight biodiversity of an area

Promote awareness of Biodiversity/ Area

Guide industry activities (e.g. oil, gas, and mining)

Guide private sector activities (e.g. sportfishing, ecotourism)

Evaluate impacts of human activities (e.g. pollution, contamination, species extraction)

Additional RAP Objectives

Initial Biodiversity Assessment and Planning (IBAP)

• Collaboration between CABS and CELB

• Objective is to engage oil and mining industry in conservation

• Provide initial biodiversity data and recommendations for potential development sites at early stages

• Biodiversity data fed into project planning

Scientific Capacity Building

•Over 300 local scientists and students trained in RAP training courses and expeditions

•Reserve staff trained

•Provide taxonomic training opportunities

•Developing data analysis/conservation reporting workshops

Selection of RAP Sites

• Requests by CI Field Programs– Priorities identified by field/regional programs– Priorities supported by CABS analyses

• Priority setting exercises (regional/country)• Recommendations by scientific experts

– Point locality records and gaps– Taxonomic databases

Additional Considerations

• High Biodiversity areas

• Data will be fed into conservation

• Funding

• Need for RAP assistance- lack of scientific capacity for biodiversity survey in country or region