Question
Question: Write a short note on the following: IUCN Red List...
Write a short note on the following: IUCN Red List
Solution
International Union for conservation of nature Red List is an inventory of the extinction risk status of animals, plants and other species around the world.
Complete Answer:
The IUCN Red List of threatened species was formed in 1964. It is headquartered in the United Kingdom and its official language is English. The Red List has defined certain criterias and categories under which the species are classified under a conservation status. The conservation status is based on their extinction risk.
The 9 categories are as follows:
| Sl.No | Category- risk status | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Extinct (EX) | A species is said to be extinct when the last individual has died and the survey has failed to record an individual. |
| 2. | Extinct in the wild (EW) | Members of the species which can now survive only under captivity or artificial environments outside of their historically reported geographical range are called Extinct in the wild. |
| 3. | Critically endangered (CR) | A species which currently faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to rapid population decline of 80-90% for the past 10 years. |
| 4. | Endangered (EN) | A species which faces a high risk of extinction in the wild due to a population decline of 50-70% for the past 10 years. |
| 5. | Vulnerable (VU) | A species whose members are posed with a high risk of extinction due to a population decline of 30-50 % for the past 10 years. |
| 6. | Near Threatened (NT) | A species whose members are close to becoming threatened or can be threatened in the coming future. |
| 7. | Least Concern (LC) | A species which does not qualify under any of the above categories and is widespread and present in good abundance. |
| 8. | Data deficient (DD) | It is applied to the species whose complete assessment is not done and hence there is a lack of information on the extinction risk status of the members.Further research and careful assessment will show if they qualify under the threatened category. |
| 9. | Not evaluated (NE) | Species which have been studied by the science but are not assessed or evaluated against any Red List criteria/category. |
Note: The importance of Red list is as follows,
- It helps the concerned authorities to take actions and make policy changes for global biodiversity conservation.
- It puts a spotlight on the population size and geographical range of the species and its members while also providing important information on their ecology, habitat and the threats they are facing currently.