The Conference of the Parties (COP) agreed on a provisional list of global headline indicators, to assess progress at the global level towards the 2010 target (decision VII/30), and to effectively communicate trends in biodiversity related to the three objectives of the Convention.

In decision VIII/15, the COP distinguished between:

• indicators considered ready for immediate testing and use (green),
• indicators confirmed as requiring more work (red)

Provisional Indicators for Assessing Progress towards the 2010 Biodiversity Target

A: Focal Area
Status and trends of the components of biological diversity	Trends in extent of selected biomes, ecosystems, and habitats Trends in abundance and distribution of selected species Coverage of protected areas Change in status of threatened species Trends in genetic diversity of domesticated animals, cultivated plants, and fish species of major socioeconomic importance
Sustainable use	Area of forest, agricultural and aquaculture ecosystems under sustainable management Proportion of products derived from sustainable sources Ecological footprint and related concepts
Threats to biodiversity	Nitrogen deposition Trends in invasive alien species
Ecosystem integrity and ecosystem goods and services	Marine Trophic Index Water quality of freshwater ecosystems Trophic integrity of other ecosystems Connectivity / fragmentation of ecosystems Incidence of human-induced ecosystem failure Health and well-being of communities who depend directly on local ecosystem goods and services Biodiversity for food and medicine
Status of traditional knowledge, innovations and Practices	Status and trends of linguistic diversity and numbers of speakers of indigenous languages Other indicator of the status of indigenous and traditional knowledge
Status of access and benefit-sharing	Indicator of access and benefit-sharing
Status of resource transfers	Official development assistance provided in support of the Convention Indicator of technology transfer

The second edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook makes use of the indicators and provides a clear presentation of the trends of biodiversity loss.

Development of the indicators

In decision VII/30 the COP established a process for testing and developing the indicators, with inputs from SBSTTA, the ad hoc Working Groups on ABS and Article 8(j), and an AHTEG on indicators for assessing progress towards the 2010 biodiversity target. The work of the AHTEG (Montreal, 19 - 22 October 2004) was prepared by an electronic discussion forum in which a series of task forces commented on possible indicators and lead organziations. The AHTEG meeting was preceded by a Liaison Group meeting (Montreal, 18 October 2004) in which representatives of possible lead organizations on individual indicators discussed strategies for supporting the process. The organizations are now members of the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership, established at the initiative of UNEP-WCMC and with funding from the GEF.