The IUCN Red List A brief introduction

What is the IUCN Red List? World’s most comprehensive information source for extinction risk of species. Not just a list, but a compilation of the conservation status of species at the global level Based on the best scientific information available Widely used to inform and influence biodiversity conservation The IUCN Red List is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the extinction risk of plant and animal species. It is not just a list, but a compilation of the conservation status of species at the global level, based on the best scientific information available. Species are assigned to one of nine categories based on criteria linked to population trend, population size and geographic range; species listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable are collectively described as ‘Threatened’. The information in the IUCN Red List is widely used to inform and influence biodiversity conservation, making the IUCN Red List the global gold standard for informing conservation action.

What is the IUCN Red List? More than just names and threat categories Includes information on threats (e.g. invasive species), ecological requirements, and conservation actions Species assessments are generated through the knowledge of thousands of the world’s leading scientists through a peer review process. © Jean-Christophe Vié The IUCN Red List is more than just a list of names and threat categories. The Red List assesses species’ global risk of extinction and monitors that risk over time. Each species on the Red List is catalogued with information on population size and trends, distribution, ecology and habitat preferences, how it is used by people, ecosystem services, threats, and recommended conservation actions. These species assessments are generated through the best available knowledge from thousands of the world’s leading scientists and experts, and is checked through a review process to ensure top quality.

Introduction to the IUCN Red List IUCN Red List Goal To provide information and analyses on the status, trends and threats to species in order to inform and catalyse action for biodiversity conservation. So, what are we trying to do? The goal of the IUCN Red List Unit is “To provide information and analyses on the status, trends and threats to species in order to inform and catalyse action for biodiversity conservation.” This goal includes the "traditional" role of the IUCN Red List in identifying particular species at risk of extinction. While the role of the IUCN Red List in underpinning priority-setting processes for single species remains of critical importance, the goal has been expanded to encompass the use of data from the Red List for multi-species analyses in order to identify and monitor trends in species status and to catalyse appropriate conservation action.

The aims: Establish a baseline from which to monitor the change in status of species Provide a global context for the establishment of conservation priorities at the local level Monitor, on a continuing basis, the status of a representative selection of species (as biodiversity indicators) that cover all the major ecosystems of the world To achieve this goal, the IUCN Red List aims to: Establish a baseline from which to monitor the change in status of species; Provide a global context for the establishment of conservation priorities at the local level; Monitor, on a continuing basis, the status of a representative selection of species (as biodiversity indicators) that cover all the major ecosystems of the world.

IUCN Red List assessment: an estimate of extinction risk Illustration copyright Bob Diven What is the likelihood of a species becoming extinct in the near future, given current knowledge about population trends, range, and recent, current or projected threats? It is not a list of species that are priorities for conservation action What does the IUCN Red List actually tell us? The assessment itself is an estimate of EXTINCTION RISK. The IUCN Red List classifies species by extinction risk, highlighting those species that are most likely to become extinct in the near future given current knowledge of population trends, range and habitat availability, population size and structure, and recent, current or projected threats acting on the species. However, the Red List is not a list of species that are high priorities for conservation action. A species with a high risk of extinction may not necessarily be a priority for receiving conservation action. Clearly extinction risk is a very important factor to consider when determining which species to invest in, but it is not the only factor to consider. When establishing conservation priorities, it is important to consider financial, cultural, logistical, biological, ethical, social and other factors in addition to extinction risk, to maximize the effectiveness of conservation actions. It’s important to keep this in mind when doing Red List assessments, and not to have a preconceived notion of how threatened a species “should” be or in which category it should be listed.

WHO IS INVOLVED?

IUCN Created in 1948 Official observer to the UN General Assembly >1,100 member organizations • >80 States • >100 Government agencies • >800 NGOs >1,000 staff (including Regional Offices) 10,000 Commission members (scientists and experts) ~5,000 representatives from partner organizations Many experts that are not Commission members Official observer to the UN General Assembly Members Commissions Secretariat In 160+ countries The IUCN Red List is produced by IUCN. IUCN is one of the oldest and largest international conservation organizations. It was created in 1948, and has been creating Red Data Books and Red Lists for more than 60 years, though the Union also works on other issues related to the conservation of nature in addition to species work. IUCN is made up of >1000 Member organizations (including States, governmental organizations and NGOs), >1000 staff located all around the world, and 10,000 scientists and experts that form the different IUCN commissions. Of the six Commissions, the Species Survival Commission is the largest and works directly with the production of the IUCN Red List. Partners Non-Commission Experts

IUCN’s species work: Commission and Programme >7,500 volunteer experts in 100+ Specialist Groups and Task Forces SSC Chair Simon Stuart SSC Steering Committee IUCN Secretariat IUCN Global Species Programme Biodiversity Assessment Unit FW Biodiversity Unit Marine Biodiversity Unit Red List Unit Species Information Service SSC Network Support Climate Change Species Trade & Use The Species Survival Commission (or SSC) is made up of thousands of volunteer experts and specialists located all over the world, that are organized into taxonomically- or regionally-based Specialist Groups. These experts provide the knowledge and data that go onto the Red List and work closely with the IUCN Red List Unit to review Red List assessments. The SSC is run by a Chair and Steering Committee, and supported by the IUCN Global Species Programme. The Global Species Programme is made up of several thematic units that work on the IUCN Red List but also other issues related to their specific focus, such as climate change or species trade and use. IUCN Species Survival Commission

Red List Partnership We work very closely with many other organizations to produce the Red List. In particular, the IUCN Red List Partnership consists of members and partners of IUCN who are making a particularly significant contribution to the IUCN Red List. This takes the form of technical or financial support, or both, as the Partners provide time, expertise and financial resources to support the Red List and guide its development and direction.

HOW IS IT COMPILED?

Red List assessments – from the field to publication Data collection Expert workshops Reviewing Quality control Producing assessments for the IUCN Red List is a very involved process, leading to rigorous assessments, which is one of the reasons the Red List is valued for informing conservation decisions. This process differs slightly for each taxonomic group, but the basic process involves first compiling the basic data for all the species that will be assessed through a given project. This information often comes from published books, articles and reports, but information from grey literature (unpublished material) and scientists’ personal experience and observations are also used. Experts are then convened at workshops to discuss (and often add to) the data, leading to an assessment of the species using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. These draft assessments are then peer-reviewed by the project coordinators and key SSC members – each assessment must be signed off by two reviewers – and when final are sent to the IUCN Red List Unit in Cambridge, where they undergo a final consistency check to ensure they are of top quality before being published on the IUCN Red List. (Photo taken at Freshwater biodiversity assessment workshop, Ghana)

Quality control: the IUCN Red List Unit Management of the IUCN Red List (database, website) Review assessments prior to publication Petitions and enquiries The IUCN Red List Unit is in charge of quality control for the IUCN Red List. Not only does the RLU give the final sign-off on assessments prior to publication, they take care of managing the Red List database and website, and field petitions and enquiries that come in questioning published Red List assessments.

Tools and training Training and assessment workshops Tools, IT infrastructure, technical advice (SIS) Other projects and Red List tools Red List Index Global Species Assessments Regional assessment initiatives Climate change and extinction risk assessment IUCN is involved in several other initiatives related to the Red List. These include: facilitating training and assessment workshops creating training tools and other tools for compiling and managing Red List data developing the required IT infrastructure and giving technical advice developing indices for monitoring the status of biodiversity over time; in particular, the Red List Index has been incorporated into many international agreements and conventions and is an important tool for reporting on the status of biodiversity global and regional assessment initiatives evaluating the relationship between climate change and extinction risk and more…

HOW CAN RED LIST DATA BE USED?

Analysis and information Conservation planning and priority-setting International conservation policy Inform private sector decision-making Education and public awareness IUCN Red List data is used by many different sectors to inform and influence biodiversity conservation. It is used widely in analyses, developing indicators and to influence conservation decisions and policy. For example, every four years IUCN publishes an analysis of the IUCN Red List that demonstrates the status of the world’s species at that time. The most recent of these is the 2008 Red List review, which is available to download from the IUCN and Red List websites. The Red List is also important for informing conservation planning and priority setting, such as determining where to site Key Biodiversity Areas and new protected areas. The spatial data available on the Red List can be used to identify where the highest concentrations of threatened species are found and where the gaps in the protected area network are located. Red List data is also used in conservation action plans and in determining which conservation measures are most critical to protect a given species. The Red List has been incorporated into several international conservation policies and legislation as an indicator of the status of biodiversity (e.g. Red List data can be used to measure progress in at least 13 of the 20 CBD targets; Red List data helps to inform inclusion of species on CITES appendices; the Red List Index has been adopted as an indicator to measure the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 7 (MDG 7), "reduce biodiversity loss”). Most countries around the world have agreed to international commitments to conserve and protect biodiversity. Many corporations and businesses consult the Red List when making key business decisions. The IUCN Red List can be used to identify potential risks and opportunities early. Once a project is defined and approved, the Red List can be used to support onsite management. Finally, one of the most important roles of the Red List is to communicate the importance of biodiversity and healthy ecosystems to the public, private sector, politicians, etc. It’s important to focus not just on threatened species, but all the species on the Red List, and to highlight the fact that just because a species is Data Deficient, Near Threatened or Least Concern doesn’t necessarily mean it’s out of danger. Many of these species are also suffering declines, and many of the threats impacting more highly threatened species have negative consequences for other species, too…including our own.