The IUCN Red List
About The IUCN Red List
Biodiversity loss is continuing at an unprecedented rate, with
many species declining to critical levels and significant numbers going
extinct. The IUCN Red List is the most comprehensive information source
on the status of wild species and their links to livelihoods. It is the
clarion call for fighting the extinction crisis. The overall aim of the
Red List is to convey the urgency and scale of conservation problems to
the public and policy makers, and to motivate the global community to
work together to reduce species extinctions.
The IUCN Red List assesses the extinction risk of species. Assessments of all mammals, birds, amphibians, sharks, reef-building corals, cycads and conifers have been completed. Efforts are underway to assess all reptiles, fishes and selected groups of plants and invertebrates. This sample indicates how life on Earth is faring, how little is known, and how urgent the need is to assess more species. In this way, The IUCN Red List is becoming The Barometer of Life.
The IUCN Red List assesses the extinction risk of species. Assessments of all mammals, birds, amphibians, sharks, reef-building corals, cycads and conifers have been completed. Efforts are underway to assess all reptiles, fishes and selected groups of plants and invertebrates. This sample indicates how life on Earth is faring, how little is known, and how urgent the need is to assess more species. In this way, The IUCN Red List is becoming The Barometer of Life.
How does the IUCN Red List help save species?
The IUCN Red List has many uses in conservation including:
- Conservation Planning – informing species-based conservation actions and identifying globally important sites for conservation including Important Plant Areas, Important Bird Areas, Key Biodiversity Areas and Alliance for Zero Extinction sites.
- Decision-making – Influencing conservation decisions at multiple scales, from environmental impact assessments to international multilateral environmental agreements.
- Monitoring – Indicating the current status of species and revealing trends in their extinction risk over time, to track progress towards biodiversity targets.
The IUCN Red List partnership
The IUCN Red List is produced and managed by the IUCN Global
Species Programme and the Species Survival Commission (SSC). The IUCN
Red List Partnership consists of members and partners of IUCN who are
making a particularly significant contribution to The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ™. This takes the form of technical or financial support or both. The Partnership currently consists of:
BirdLife International
Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)
Conservation International
Sapienza Università di Roma
NatureServe
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Texas A&M University
Wildscreen
Zoological Society of London
The Head of the Global Species Programme is the focal point for the IUCN Red List Partnership.
BirdLife International
Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)
Conservation International
Sapienza Università di Roma
NatureServe
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Texas A&M University
Wildscreen
Zoological Society of London
The Head of the Global Species Programme is the focal point for the IUCN Red List Partnership.
A Brief History of the IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List System was first conceived in 1963 and set a
standard for species listing and conservation assessment efforts. For
more than 30 years the Species Survival Commission (SSC) in conjunction
with the IUCN Species Programme, has been evaluating the conservation
status of species and subspecies on a global scale - highlighting those
threatened with extinction and promoting their conservation.
Over time, however, IUCN recognised that a more objective and scientific system for determining threat status was needed, one that drew on advances in the science of conservation biology and other disciplines. There was also a need for a more accurate system for use at the national and regional level. The IUCN Red List Categories evolved over a four-year period through extensive consultation and testing with more than 800 SSC members, and the wider scientific community. The more precise and quantitative Red List Categories and Criteria were adopted by IUCN in 1994.
In 1988 all bird species were evaluated, and in the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals the conservation status of every mammal species in the world was assessed for the first time. These were major milestones in conservation because not only was the overall status of mammals and birds determined, but a baseline was established from which to monitor future trends. For the 1996 list 5,205 species were evaluated resulting in 25% of all mammals and 11% of all birds being listed as threatened. In 2011 there were over 61,000 species on the Red List and all mammals, birds, amphibians, sharks, reef-buliding corals, cycads and conifers have been assessed.
The system used ensure the highest standards of documentation (supporting information), information management, training, and scientific credibility.
Over time, however, IUCN recognised that a more objective and scientific system for determining threat status was needed, one that drew on advances in the science of conservation biology and other disciplines. There was also a need for a more accurate system for use at the national and regional level. The IUCN Red List Categories evolved over a four-year period through extensive consultation and testing with more than 800 SSC members, and the wider scientific community. The more precise and quantitative Red List Categories and Criteria were adopted by IUCN in 1994.
In 1988 all bird species were evaluated, and in the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals the conservation status of every mammal species in the world was assessed for the first time. These were major milestones in conservation because not only was the overall status of mammals and birds determined, but a baseline was established from which to monitor future trends. For the 1996 list 5,205 species were evaluated resulting in 25% of all mammals and 11% of all birds being listed as threatened. In 2011 there were over 61,000 species on the Red List and all mammals, birds, amphibians, sharks, reef-buliding corals, cycads and conifers have been assessed.
The system used ensure the highest standards of documentation (supporting information), information management, training, and scientific credibility.
No comments:
Post a Comment