Two new reports present the practical applications of the STAR metric to drive conservation and restoration efforts in four of The Restoration Initiative’s (TRI) projects. The first is a knowledge brief that builds on an earlier STAR assessment in Kenya and Cameroon, showcasing how the STAR metric has been applied to drive strategies and initiatives for species conservation efforts in three different projects in these two countries. The second report presents the STAR assessment results from four project sites in the Central African Republic (CAR) and provides crucial insights into how the policy integration of forest and landscape restoration (FLR) practices can support national biodiversity goals.
The STAR metric
At the heart of these new reports is the STAR metric, a powerful tool developed to measure the potential and realised contribution of conservation and restoration initiatives to reducing species’ extinction risk. The STAR metric provides a standardised way for a myriad of actors, including governments, policymakers, practitioners, businesses, and investors, to measure the impact of their activities and investments on species preservation.
The STAR metric evaluates two key components: (1) threat abatement – reducing immediate threats to species, such as habitat loss, poaching, or pollution and (2) habitat restoration – restoring ecosystems that support threatened species, creating healthier environments for recovery and long-term survival.
The methodology seeks to estimate the potential contribution of threat abatement and/or habitat restoration activities to the reduction of species extinction risk, calibrate this potential contribution at a location using local data, set target scores quantifying the desired threat abatement and/or habitat restoration to be achieved, and measure progress towards these targets using suitable indicators of threat abatement and/or habitat restoration success.
Importantly, the STAR metric enables actors to track and add up their total contributions to biodiversity conservation and align their efforts with global targets such as those set by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Practical applications of the STAR metric in Kenya and Cameroon
Building on an existing STAR assessment report in Kenya and Cameroon published in 2023, the new knowledge brief showcases the practical applications of the STAR metric in TRI’s three projects in Kenya arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) and Tana Delta, as well as three project sites in Cameroon’s diverse landscapes. In both countries, the STAR assessment provides critical information for the prioritisation of areas and initiatives related to conservation and restoration efforts.
In Cameroon, the estimated threat abatement scores across three project sites were 48.4 in Douala-Edea, 2.9 in Mbalmayo, and 1.2 in Waza. The northeast portion of the Douala-Edea landscape presented the greatest opportunities for species conservation. The STAR scores were attributed mainly to the Dizangue Reed Frog and the Apouh Night Frog, which together account for 86% of the values. The findings illustrate that non-timber agricultural crop expansion and intensification (44%) contributed the most to the Douala-Edea project site.
Dizangue Reed Frog (Photo credit: Jean-Louis Amiet) and the Apouh Night Frog (Photo credit: Dave Blackburn)
In Kenya ASAL, while the estimated STAR score for threat abatement in Mukagodo forest was 13.8, the score in Mount Kulal was 8.9. The threatened species that contributed the most to the STAR scores were the Hinde’s babbler, Grevy’s Zebra, Tigoni Reed Frog, and Fisher’s Lovebird. The most significant threat abatement measures in the Mukogodo forest project site included targeting threats from livestock farming and ranching (18%), natural system modification (16%), and hunting (15%). Kenya Tana Delta fared an estimated total threat abatement STAR score of 1.2. The STAR assessment focused on three key species: the Tana River Red colobus monkey, the Sokoke dog mongoose, and the Spotted ground thrush. The STAR score highlighted the significance of logging and wood harvesting activities (22%).
Hinde’s babbler (Photo credit: Aidan Harries) Tana River Red Colobus monkey ( Photo credit: Yvonne de Jong & Tom Butynski/IUCN Red List)
Some key practical applications of the STAR metric include prioritising conservation efforts and enabling a targeted approach to conservation and restoration in areas with significant biodiversity. The quantitative STAR scores also allow for precise and standardised evaluations and comparisons between project sites. These scores can be used to justify projects to donors and decision-making bodies, communicate important information to policymakers, local communities, investors, and other relevant stakeholders, and support conservation efforts in cross-boundary landscapes.
The STAR methodology can also be used to monitor project progress. Future developments in the STAR methodology will allow project teams to select specific indicators to measure progress toward target STAR scores. Key recommendations include the importance of calibrating results through participative approaches, sharing results with relevant stakeholders, and advocating for adoption by national governments as a consistent metric to assess actions for reducing species extinction risk.
Assessment results from the Central African Republic
The Species Threat Abatement and Recovery in the Central African Republic report focuses on the application of the STAR metric in four key project sites in CAR, including Lobaye, Mambéré-Kadéï, Ombella-Mpoko, and Sangha-Mbaéré, all located around Bangui. The results of the STAR assessment indicate a total estimated STAR score for threat abatement of 65.8, demonstrating the significant potential of conservation efforts in these regions to reduce species extinction risk – a higher STAR indicated greater potential. Across the project sites, hunting and collecting terrestrial animals was the activity that contributed the most to the STAR score. Furthermore, amongst the 19 threatened species analysed, the Western gorilla (18.9%), the Chimpanzee (11.7%), and the Shelly’s eagle owl (11%) contributed to the STAR score the most.
Gorilla (Photo credit: Andy Isaacson / WWF) and Shelly’s eagle owl (Photo credit: Rob Williams on eBird/Macauly Library)
While the STAR score for threat abatement is high, the STAR assessment also highlights the complementary role of restoration activities. Restoration interventions are vital to achieving long-term conservation goals, particularly in regions where habitat degradation has severely affected biodiversity. The STAR restoration score in the CAR project areas was influenced by baseline data, underscoring the importance of accurate, on-the-ground information for evaluating the effectiveness of restoration efforts.
One practical application of the STAR assessment has been integrating FLR principles and initiatives into national biodiversity strategies by providing quantitative data on the importance and impact of conservation and restoration activities. In the context of CAR, the STAR metric can support the government’s efforts to update its National Biodiversity Strategy, which has not been reviewed since 2000.
TRI, a programme supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), was created to respond to the alarming state of forest degradation and deforestation. TRI brings together the collective strengths and resources of nine countries, three GEF agencies, ten project teams, and numerous support staff and external partners to turn restoration ambition into results, supporting the Bonn Challenge. To overcome existing barriers to reaching this goal, TRI country teams have worked to create positive in-country enabling environments for implementing and scaling up FLR. Learn more: