Our current goals, based on the IUCN Red List Strategic Plan (2021-2030), are to have 260,000 species assessed and to reassess 142,000 of those species to ensure the information on their status is up-to-date so that we can monitor trends in change of status. Meeting these goals 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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More than 45,300 species are threatened with extinction

That is still 28% of all assessed species.

Amphibians

41%



Mammals

26%



Conifers

34%



Birds

12%



Sharks & Rays

37%



Reef corals

36%



Selected Crustaceans

28%



reptiles

21%



Cycads

71%



Help us make The IUCN Red List a more complete barometer of life.

# News from IUCN



2024-06-27

## Bornean Elephant Endangered - IUCN Red List

The latest IUCN Red List (2024-1) reveals the Bornean Elephant is Endangered due to human activities, invasive snakes are driving endemic reptiles on the Canary Islands and Ibiza to extinction, while illegal trade and climate change threaten cacti in Chile.



2024-06-20

## Iberian Lynx rebounding thanks to conservation action

The Iberian Lynx has improved from Endangered to Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ [new assessment to be published on the Red List on 27 June], continuing its dramatic recovery from near extinction thanks to sustained conservation efforts.



2024-04-22

## Partnership continues in efforts to safeguard global coral reefs amid fourth global bleaching event

Against the backdrop of the ongoing fourth global coral bleaching event, IUCN, Arizona State University, Cordio East Africa, and the MSC Foundation are intensifying their collaborative efforts to address the escalating threat facing coral reefs worldwide.

Main Image
Gran Canaria Giant Lizard (Critically Endangered, A3ce
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.

# 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.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## Not Evaluated (NE)

A taxon is Not Evaluated (NE) when it has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.

Not Evaluated (NE) species are not published on the IUCN Red List

# Our goals

To date, more than 163,000 species have been assessed for The IUCN Red List.

This is an incredible achievement. However, our work is nowhere near complete. We need to substantially increase the number of wild species assessed, particularly plants, invertebrates and fungi.

Our current goals, based on the IUCN Red List Strategic Plan (2021-2030), are to have 260,000 species assessed and to reassess 142,000 of those species to ensure the information on their status is up-to-date so that we can monitor trends in change of status. Meeting these goals 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.

## Goal statistics

Species assessed

163,040

Goal

260,000

96,960 species remaining

# The Red List Partnership

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