IUCN Red List facts for kids
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| Formation | 1964 |
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| Headquarters | Cambridge, United Kingdom |
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Region served
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International |
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Official language
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English |
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Parent organization
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International Union for Conservation of Nature |
| Affiliations | Species Survival Commission, Birdlife International, Conservation International, NatureServe, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Texas A&M University, Sapienza University of Rome, Zoological Society of London, Wildscreen |
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List, is like a global report card for nature. It tells us which plants, animals, and fungi are at risk of disappearing forever. This important list was started in 1964 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The main goals of the Red List are to:
- Show how many species are in danger.
- Help people understand why this is important.
- Guide governments and groups to make good decisions.
- Provide information to protect biodiversity (all the different kinds of life on Earth).
Many expert groups help create the Red List. These include BirdLife International and the Zoological Society of London. They work together to check on species around the world. The IUCN tries to check each species at least every ten years. For some, they check every five years. This helps keep the list up-to-date.
As of 2023, experts have looked at over 150,000 species. Sadly, more than 42,000 of these are at risk of extinction. This is mostly because of human activities. Things like too much overfishing, hunting, and building on natural lands cause problems.
Contents
How the Red List Started
The idea for a "Red Data Book" first came from a person named Peter Scott in 1963. He wanted a way to keep track of species in trouble.
Early Red Data Lists (1966–1977)
The first Red Lists were made for scientists. They were printed in a special loose-leaf format. This made it easy to add new information.
- The first two books came out in 1966. One was for mammals and one for birds. A conservationist named Noel Simon put them together.
- In 1968, a third book covered reptiles and amphibians. René E. Honegger created this one.
- The first Red List for plants came out in 1970. It focused on flowering plants. Ronald Melville put this list together.
- The last book in this old style was about freshwater fishes. Robert Rush Miller published it in 1979.
The First Red Data Book for Everyone (1969)
In 1969, a book called The Red Book: Wildlife in Danger was made for the general public. It talked about many different animal groups. It mostly focused on mammals and birds. It also had smaller parts on reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and plants.
Important Updates to the Red List
The Red List is updated regularly to show new information. Here are some key updates:
- 2006 Update: This list looked at over 40,000 species.
- 2007 Update: In 2007, the western lowland gorilla and the Cross River gorilla were moved to a more serious category. They went from "endangered" to "critically endangered." This was due to diseases like Ebola virus and poaching (illegal hunting). This update showed that over 16,300 species were at risk.
- 2008 Update: The 2008 list showed that almost one in four mammals was at risk of disappearing. This was a big warning about the extinction crisis.
- 2012 Update: In 2012, nearly 2,000 new species were added to the list. This update showed that over 19,800 species were threatened with extinction. It highlighted that many amphibians, corals, conifers, mammals, and birds were in danger.
How Species Are Categorized
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| Extinct | |
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| Threatened | |
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| Lower Risk | |
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Other categories |
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Related topics
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 Comparison of Red list classes above and NatureServe status below  |
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The IUCN Red List puts species into nine different groups. These groups are based on things like:
- How fast a species' numbers are dropping.
- How many individuals are left.
- How big their living area is.
- How spread out their populations are.
Here are the main categories:
- Extinct (EX): We are sure that this species no longer exists anywhere.
- Extinct in the wild (EW): This species only lives in zoos or special protected areas. It is gone from its natural home.
- Critically Endangered (CR): This species is in extreme danger. It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- Endangered (EN): This species faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- Vulnerable (VU): This species is at high risk of extinction if we don't help it.
- Near threatened (NT): This species is close to being endangered in the future.
- Least concern (LC): This species is not likely to become endangered or extinct soon.
- Data deficient (DD): We don't have enough information to put this species in a category.
- Not evaluated (NE): This species has not been checked yet.
When the Red List says a species is "threatened," it means it's in one of the Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable categories.
Older Categories and Updates
The way species are categorized has changed over time.
- An older list from 1994 had a "Lower Risk" category with three sub-groups:
- Conservation Dependent (LR/cd)
- Near Threatened (LR/nt)
- Least Concern (LR/lc)
- In 2001, "Near Threatened" and "Least Concern" became their own main categories. The "Conservation Dependent" category was removed. Species from that group were moved into "Near Threatened."
Possibly Extinct Tag
Sometimes, experts use a special tag called "possibly extinct" (PE). This is for species that are Critically Endangered but might already be gone. There's also a "Possibly Extinct in the Wild" tag for species that only survive in captivity.
Different Versions of the Red List
The Red List has had several versions since 1991. Each new version helps improve how species are assessed.
- Version 1.0 (1991)
- Version 2.0 (1992)
- Version 2.1 (1993)
- Version 2.2 (1994)
- Version 2.3 (1994)
- Version 3.0 (1999)
- Version 3.1 (2001)
All new assessments since 2001 use version 3.1 of the rules.
See also
In Spanish: Lista Roja de la UICN para niños
- CITES
- Conservation status
- Red List Index
- Regional Red List
- Species by IUCN Red List category
- Wildlife conservation
