Iucn red list

IUCN Red List

The IUCN Red List or International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species (pronounced: I-U-C-N Red List), first established in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species.

Etymology

The term "IUCN Red List" is derived from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the organization that publishes the list, and the color red, which signifies "danger" or "stop" in many cultures, indicating the urgency of the conservation status of the species listed.

Description

The IUCN Red List categorizes species into nine different conservation statuses: Extinct (EX), Extinct in the Wild (EW), Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU), Near Threatened (NT), Least Concern (LC), Data Deficient (DD), and Not Evaluated (NE).

The list aims to convey the urgency of conservation issues to the public and policy makers, and also helps the international community to try to reduce species extinction. The IUCN Red List is set upon precise criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies.

Related Terms

• Conservation status
• Endangered species
• Biodiversity
• Habitat destruction
• Wildlife conservation

See Also

• World Conservation Union
• Endangered Species Act
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• CITES

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