We also show that the indicator set of species provides good coverage of several threat categories, though it clearly under-represents those in the most threatened classes (Text S2, Table S8). The species used in the indicator are
widely distributed across European regions and biomes; they include northern and southern European species and those with relatively large, as well as those with relatively restricted, European geographical ranges (see Table S1). We hope that the extension of bird monitoring schemes to a wider group of species and countries will increase coverage over time. It might also be possible to construct separate indicators of impacts of climatic change for plants and other groups of animals. However, the restricted availability of mapped distributions for climatic envelope modelling and of long-term population monitoring data may restrict the scope for such developments in the immediate future. Although climatic change is believed to be among the most powerful factors shaping future biodiversity in Europe [29],
systematic monitoring of impacts is not currently recognised within the established suites of indicators [6–8]. For this reason, we hope that our indicator will stimulate similar initiatives.