The following are examples of species that have moved up or down the threat categories since 2003. For information on the Red List Categories and Criteria, go here.
Aders duiker (Cephalophus adersi).
This antelope, which occurs in Kenya and Tanzania, moved from Endangered to Critically Endangered as a result of population declines. The population on Zanzibar declined from 5,000 individuals in 1983, to 2,000 in 1996, and to 640 in 1999. Threats to the antelope are ongoing habitat loss and degradation, and illegal hunting.
São Tomé free-tailed bat (Chaerephon tomensis).
This bat moved up the threatened scale from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered. It is known to occur in only two sites on São Tomé, despite extensive searches. Its coastal forest and savanna habitats are being destroyed through tourism and agricultural development, and there is the added potential threat of a port being built.
Striped-back mouse (Muriculus imberbis).
An inhabitant of eastern Africa, this mouse moved from Vulnerable to Endangered. It has a relatively restricted and severely fragmented range (less than 5,000 km²). Habitat quality continues to decline due to the impacts of pastoralists. There are virtually no records of this species in the last 20 years.
Delectable soft-furred mouse (Praomys delectorum).
Another African species, this mouse moved from Least Concern into the Near Threatened category. Although the mouse has a fairly wide distribution range, it relies on its forest habitat remaining intact. In Kenya, forests are being affected by human activity and if its habitat becomes disturbed in Tanzania and Malawi, the mouse would very quickly move into a threatened category. At present the population is stable and relatively abundant where it occurs.
European otter (Lutra lutra).
This species moved out of the threatened categories (from Vulnerable to Near Threatened) as there are indications that the population is recovering in western Europe and that viable populations occur in the former USSR. However, given the lack of information from huge parts of the range, the past declines (and even local extinctions) and the sensitivity of the species to sudden changes in threats, it is classified as Near Threatened. This also reflects concerns about the status of populations in the Russian Far East because of possible over-exploitation. The otter’s recovery in western Europe highlights the success of conservation efforts but these must be sustained. Visit the ARKive website for images of the European otter here.
Hawaiian thrush (Myadestes myadestinus).
Assessed as Critically Endangered in 2000, but now confirmed to be Extinct, the species was endemic to Kaua'i in the Hawaiian Islands. It was the most common of the forest birds in 1891, but, by 1928, had disappeared from the lower altitudes and became restricted to dense montane forest in the Alaka'i Wilderness Preserve. The last probable sighting was in 1989. Disease carried by introduced mosquitoes and the destruction and degradation of forests are likely to have been the chief causes of its demise.
 Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis).
Moving from Critically Endangered to Extinct in the Wild, the last two known wild individuals of this species disappeared in 2002. Some individuals remain in captive breeding facilities and a reintroduction plan is being developed.
Golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei).
Endemic to the Northern Mariana Islands of the Northern Pacific, this species was uplisted from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered. The majority of the population occurs on the island of Saipan, where the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) recently became established. The snake is likely to cause an extremely rapid population reduction in the near future, unless it can be controlled.
 Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus).
Moving from Near Threatened to Critically Endangered, this species has a tiny breeding range (in the Balearic Islands, Spain) and a small population that is undergoing an extremely rapid decline due to a number of threats, in particular predation at breeding colonies by introduced cats, and by-catch of foraging birds in long-line fisheries. Population models predict a decline of 98% within 54 years (three generations). The shearwater has been uplisted to Critically Endangered because of the severity of these declines.
Red-tailed Amazon (Amazona brasiliensis). This parrot is endemic to Brazil and is the symbol of the Guaragueçaba Protected Area in the Atlantic Rainforest on the Southern coast. Trapping for the cage-bird trade and habitat loss are its most serious threats. Despite heavy trapping pressure in the early 1990s, the species' range is believed to have remained relatively stable and populations have remained stable or declined less steeply than it was feared they might. The species has consequently been downlisted from Endangered to Vulnerable.
For more examples of the status of birds, see the BirdLife International website at www.birdlife.org, and their report State of the World's Birds.
Giant Hispaniolan galliwasp (Celestus warreni).
Moving from Near Threatened to Critically Endangered, this lizard is thought to have declined by at least 80% over the last 20 years. The species is native to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and is threatened by habitat loss, especially deforestation for agricultural activities (planting crops and creating pastures). The galliwasp is also killed by dogs, cats and mongooses, and by people who mistakenly consider it to be venomous. The introduction and spread of the mongoose in Hispaniola, combined with habitat alteration, are probably the causes of the recent precipitous decline in giant species of Celestus.
Golden toad (Bufo periglenes).
Known only from a few kilometres of ridge top in Monteverde, Costa Rica, this toad (previously assessed as Critically Endangered) has now been declared Extinct. The species has not been seen since 1989 when a single male was recorded. Climate change, the fungal disease chytridiomycosis, and airborne pollution probably contributed to the extinction of this toad. Visit the ARKive website for images of the golden toad here.
Goliath frog (Conraua goliath).
This is the world’s largest frog and was uplisted from Vulnerable to Endangered because the population has declined by more than 50% over the last 15 years. The frog occurs in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea where it is hunted for food. The frog is also imported from Cameroon to the United States on a regular basis for zoos, the pet trade and competitive frog races (one estimate of this trade is 300 animals per year). It is also adversely affected by the loss of forest habitat for agriculture, logging and human settlements, as well as by sedimentation of its breeding streams. Visit the ARKive website for images of the goliath frog here.
Mallorcan midwife toad (Alytes muletensis). Known only from northern Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain, this toad’s status has improved recently as a direct result of a successful captive breeding and a reintroduction programme initiated in 1985. The species has now been downlisted from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable. The population suffered severe declines in the past due to predation by the viperine snake (Natrix maura) and competition for space with the green frog (Rana perezi), both of which were introduced onto the island, and over-extraction of water from streams where the frog breeds. These threats are not likely to decrease, and so the current recovery programme needs to be continued indefinitely. Visit the ARKive website for images of the Mallorcan midwife toad here.
For more examples of the status of amphibians, see the Global Amphibian Assessment website at www.globalamphibians.org/.
 Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulates).
In 1996, the humphead wrasse was assessed as Vulnerable. Several studies since then have improved biologists’ knowledge of the species and it is now known to be Endangered. This large, coral reef fish is heavily fished in Southeast Asia for the live reef food fish trade and the population has declined by at least 50% over the last 30 years. This decline is expected to continue as the species is one of the most highly valued fish and there is no management of the fishery for this species. In addition, the species’ essential coral reef habitat is seriously threatened by human activity throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
 Fabulous green sphinx moth (Tinostoma smaragditis).
This enthusiastically named species, found on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, moved from Data Deficient to Endangered. In 1996, the moth was assessed as Extinct but in February 1998, a male Tinostoma was discovered. A second male was caught in another part of the island in October 1998, photographed, marked and released. Two females were also found in eastern Kauai, both released. The moth’s status was changed to Data Deficient in 2003, pending a full reassessment. It occurs only in a few areas of native forest on Kauai. The area in which most specimens were collected has been hit by hurricanes. Given the moth’s restricted range, the few known localities and ongoing threats to habitat, it is now reassessed as Endangered.
 St. Helena olive (Nesiota elliptica).
Profiled in the release of the 2003 IUCN Red List as Extinct in the Wild, this symbolic species is now sadly Extinct. The last known tree surviving in the wild died in 1994 and the only known plant still in cultivation died in November 2003. No other live material (plants, seeds or tissues) remain in local or international collections. Visit the ARKive website for images of the St. Helena olive here.
Begonia oxyanthera. This African begonia, found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria, has been uplisted from Near Threatened to Vulnerable because of habitat destruction in what appears to be its main subpopulation in the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon. Forest loss has been recorded even in the Kilum-Ijim protected area. It is estimated that habitat loss for the species over its range is likely to have been more than 30% in the last 15 years.
Medusandra richardsiana.
Another African species from Cameroon, this tree shifted category from Conservation Dependent to Vulnerable. It is estimated that over 30% of the habitat in which this species is found will be destroyed in the next 100 years as a result of encroaching agriculture and land settlement.
 New Zealand storm petrel (Oceanites maorianus). This bird was presumed Extinct due to the lack of records since specimens were collected in the 1800s. However, it was rediscovered in 2003, with two separate observations, followed by further sightings in 2004. Although there is very little information on which to base an assessment, following a precautionary approach, the species has been reclassified as Critically Endangered on the basis of an extremely small population that could be susceptible to introduced predators. Further observations and information may well lead to a revision of the criteria, and possibly the category to which the species is assigned. Validation of its taxonomic status is urgently required.
Rheocles sikorae,
a freshwater fish from Madagascar, was previously thought to be Extinct. However, since 1996 it has been collected from five forested stream areas near the town of Marolambo, where it is well known to local residents. In view of its apparently restricted current range, the species is likely to qualify as Vulnerable. However, more collections are needed to confirm the restricted distribution of the species and additional data are required to evaluate any additional threats to its habitat or threats having a direct impact on the population. It is therefore listed as Data Deficient.
Miller Lake lamprey (Lampetra minima).
A freshwater fish from Oregon, US, the Miller Lake lamprey was thought to have gone Extinct in about 1958 as a result of a deliberate chemical treatment of Miller Lake (the only known location at the time) to exterminate this species to stop it eating introduced trout fingerlings. However, in 1992, an adult lamprey collected in the Williamson River was identified as L. minima, and, in 1996, unidentified lamprey were collected in Miller Creek, the outflow stream of Miller Lake. Subsequent surveys in the summers of 1997-1999 reconfirmed the extinction of the species in Miller Lake, but also led to the discovery of several subpopulations within and outside the Miller Lake sub-basin. The lamprey is provisionally listed as Data Deficient pending a reassessment of its status.
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