OC-8.2: Change in rangeland biodiversity

Owned by Enrico Bonaiuti
Last updated: May 05, 2020
2 min read

Definition: This indicator measures species richness, i.e the number of different species in a particular plant community in the rangelands.

Unit of Measure: Percentage

Disaggregated by: Climate, vegetation type, family, lifeform, longevity (annual or perennial), geographic location (national, sub-national)

Method of Calculation:
Step 1: Compute the Shannon index
Shannon Diversity Index (SDI)=i=1n-Pi×lnPi
Pi is the number of individuals of one particular species found in the plant community  divided by the total number of individuals found in the same plant community (N).
Step 2: Compute the change in the shannon index across the reporting periods (applicable to all but the first reporting period)
Change in diversity=SDItn-SDItoSDIto×100
t0 denotes the first reporting period (e.g baseline) and tn denotes subsequent reporting periods (e.g mid-term, end-term).
Additional notes:
The Shannon index increases as both the richness and the evenness of species in the community increase.

Data sources: Rangelands

Data collection method: Field-data collection from rangeland. Vegetation cover and species composition must be estimated using the point- quadrats method along definite transects with 100 points per transect. The percentage cover of each species data will be used to calculate the Shannon diversity index.

Data collection and reporting responsibility: Program leader, project leader, project M&E focal point person

Data collection and reporting frequency: Annual, bi-annual, baseline, mid-term, end-term.
It is recommended that data collection is done during the peak season of growth when identification of plant species is much easier.

Evidence required: Images, data collection forms (raw data), dataset

Rationale: Rangeland biodiversity is a vital ecological indicators of rangeland sound management and health. This indicator will help form a basis and track priorities for rangeland biodiversity conservation.

Comments and limitations: Species identification may require the involvement of specialists such as a taxonomist, without whom the information gathered may not be accurate.