News from IUCN Site navigationIUCN study identifies tree species for climate-resilient reforestationYoung people launch powerful plan to involve them in parksWCEL Oceans, Coasts and Coral Reefs Specialist Group: Update October 2018Data Deficient (DD)Least Concern (LC)Near Threatened (NT)Vulnerable (VU)Endangered (EN)Critically Endangered (CR)Extinct In The Wild (EW)Extinct (EX)Goal statistics
Species categorized as Data Deficient (DD)Species categorized as Near Threatened (NT)Species categorized as Vulnerable (VU)Species categorized as Endangered (EN)Species categorized as Critically Endangered (CR)Species categorized as Extinct In The Wild (EW)Species categorized as Extinct (EX)
2019-1
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More than 27,000 species are threatened with extinction
That is more than 27% of all assessed species.
Amphibians
40%
Mammals
25%
Conifers
34%
Birds
14%
Sharks & Rays
31%
Reef corals
33%
Selected Crustaceans
27%
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News from IUCN
IUCN study identifies tree species for climate-resilient reforestation
IUCN study identifies climate change resilient tree species in Indonesia that support threatened East Bornean orangutan populations, recommending their use in reforestation.
Read the full article on IUCN
Read the full article on IUCN
Young people launch powerful plan to involve them in parks
Reconnecting people with nature was a hot topic during Europarc 2018, the yearly conference of Protected Areas in Europe. Involving youth in our organisations is a crucial step for this, according to Europarc’s director, Carol Richie.
Read the full article on IUCN
Read the full article on IUCN
WCEL Oceans, Coasts and Coral Reefs Specialist Group: Update October 2018
The Oceans, Coasts and Coral Reefs Specialist Group has published its report in a series highlighting ongoing work under each WCEL Specialist Group.
Read the full article on IUCN
Read the full article on IUCN
See all news
Eastern Gorilla (Critically Endangered, A4bcd
ver 3.1)
What is The IUCN Red List?
Established in 1964, The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.
The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity. Far more than a list of species and their status, it is a powerful tool to inform and catalyze action for biodiversity conservation and policy change, critical to protecting the natural resources we need to survive. It provides information about range, population size, habitat and ecology, use and/or trade, threats, and conservation actions that will help inform necessary conservation decisions.
Learn more about The IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria
The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria are intended to be an easily and widely understood system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction. It divides species into nine categories:
Not Evaluated,
Data Deficient,
Least Concern,
Near Threatened,
Vulnerable,
Endangered,
Critically Endangered,
Extinct in the Wild
and
Extinct.
Data Deficient (DD)
A taxon is
Data Deficient (DD)
when there is inadequate information to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution and/or population status. A taxon in this category may be well studied, and its biology well known, but appropriate data on abundance and/or distribution are lacking.
Species categorized as Data Deficient (DD)
Least Concern (LC)
A taxon is
Least Concern (LC)
when it has been evaluated against the Red List criteria and does not qualify for
Critically Endangered,
Endangered,
Vulnerable
or
Near Threatened.
Species categorized as Least Concern (LC)
Near Threatened (NT)
A taxon is
Near Threatened (NT)
when it has been evaluated against the criteria but does not qualify for
Critically Endangered,
Endangered
or
Vulnerable
now, but is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.
Species categorized as Near Threatened (NT)
Vulnerable (VU)
A taxon is
Vulnerable (VU)
when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the criteria A to E for Vulnerable, and it is therefore considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Species categorized as Vulnerable (VU)
Endangered (EN)
A taxon is
Endangered (EN)
when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the criteria A to E for Endangered, and it is therefore considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
Species categorized as Endangered (EN)
Critically Endangered (CR)
A taxon is
Critically Endangered (CR)
when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the criteria A to E for Critically Endangered, and it is therefore considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Species categorized as Critically Endangered (CR)
Extinct In The Wild (EW)
A taxon is
Extinct In The Wild (EW)
when it is known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalized population (or populations) well outside the past range. A taxon is presumed Extinct in the Wild when exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate times (diurnal, seasonal, annual), throughout its historic range have failed to record an individual. Surveys should be over a time frame appropriate to the taxon's life cycle and life form.
Species categorized as Extinct In The Wild (EW)
Extinct (EX)
A taxon is
Extinct (EX)
when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. A taxon is presumed Extinct when exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate times (diurnal, seasonal, annual), throughout its historic range have failed to record an individual. Surveys should be over a time frame appropriate to the taxon's life cycle and life form.
Species categorized as Extinct (EX)
Our goals
To date, more than 98,500 species have been assessed for The IUCN Red List.
This is an incredible achievement. However, our work is nowhere near complete. We need to more than double the number of wild species (plants, animals and fungi) assessed
Our new goal is 160,000 species by 2020. Meeting this goal will provide the most up-to-date indication of the health of the world’s biodiversity to guide critical conservation action. This is only achievable with support from people like you.
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