An average species survives on Earth for a million years and then goes extinct. However, due to intense alteration of natural systems caused by human activities, more and more species are going extinct before their expected lifetime. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ lists species according to their estimated risk of extinction and is used worldwide to inform prioritization of conservation action. Several countries are producing national Red Lists to help them identify those species which are in highest need of protection. So does North Macedonia.

The training was conducted by specialists from the IUCN Red List Unit in Cambridge, UK, and formed part of the GEF-funded project “Achieving Biodiversity Conservation through Creation and Effective Management of Protected Areas and Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Land Use Planning”, lead by UN Environment. Participants came from North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia, enhancing the exchange of red-listing experience from across the region.

Caroline Pollock, IUCN Red List Unit trainer, shares her impressions from the training: “I love the buzz of a room full of motivated people”.

Using lectures, hands-on group-work tasks and knowledge tests, the workshop provided the participants with an in-depth understanding of the process of assessing the extinction risk of species, covering the data requirements, the assessments methodology, available tools, spatial representation, and data management options. Insight was provided into the different roles that experts can play during the assessment, and how the assessments can be used on national and global levels. To wrap up, a discussion session was held looking at ways in which the newly gained information can be used to guide the national red-listing process in the country, forming the basis for chalking out the process further.

“This has been a very useful and interesting workshop, of great help for any current and future Red List efforts in the country”, commented a  participant at the workshop.

IUCN ECARO’s role in the project is to lead the process for generating a national "Red List Index", reflecting the prioritised list of threatened species within the country, as adopted by the Government of North Macedonia. More information about the project is available here.