Story | 04 Jan, 2016
60 new African dragonfly species described
Only a fifth of the nine million species of animal, plant and fungus thought to occur on earth are known. Dragonflies (which include damselflies) are generally considered well-known but researchers have recently described 60 new species, the greatest number of newly described dragonflies in…
Story | 24 Mar, 2015
Dead Shrimp Blues - the imperilled status of freshwater shrimps
“I woke up this mornin' and all my shrimps was dead and gone”, so sang the legendary blues artist Robert Johnson back in 1937. A lyric which sadly resonates today according to a study led by the…
Press release | 17 Nov, 2014
Global appetite for resources pushing new species to the brink – IUCN Red List
Pacific Bluefin Tuna, Chinese Pufferfish, American Eel, Chinese Cobra and an Australian butterfly are threatened with extinction
Story | 13 Nov, 2014
IUCN identifies threatened freshwater biodiversity sites in the Mediterranean
Out of the 167 freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas identified, mapped and validated throughout the Mediterranean region, 75 percent were found outside the boundaries of any pre-existing protected areas or other KBAs, according to the main results of an IUCN assessment revealed today at the IUCN…
Press release | 12 Jun, 2014
IUCN Red List raises more red flags for threatened species
Almost 80% of temperate slipper orchids and over 90% of lemurs are threatened with extinction, according to the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. The newly assessed Japanese Eel has been listed as Endangered, while the Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo – the mascot of the…
Story | 24 May, 2014
Cry for help for migratory fish from New Zealand to Hawaii
Today is the first ever World Fish Migration Day and community events are taking place across the globe to celebrate the importance of freshwater migratory fish and free flowing rivers. WWF (NL), The Nature Conservancy (USA), the IUCN SSC/Wetlands International Freshwater Fish Specialist Group…
Story | 05 Feb, 2014
A global perspective on re-introduction
From mangroves to spiders, trout to bobcat, the latest edition of Global Re-introduction Perspectives presents 52 case studies on re-introduction projects from around the world.
Story | 20 Dec, 2013
Shark expert and freediver joins IUCN’s ocean conservation mission
Despite the high profile media attention sharks receive, relatively little is known about their biology. Of those shark species that have been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, nearly half are listed as Data Deficient, which means that we do not have enough information to…
Story | 26 Nov, 2013
Forest giraffe joins growing number of threatened species
The Okapi – a national symbol of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as the “forest giraffe” – and the sub-Saharan White-winged Flufftail – one of Africa’s rarest birds – are now on the brink of extinction, according to the latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.…
Story | 06 Nov, 2013
Key Biodiversity Areas - governance workshop underway in Brasilia
This week, a number of conservationists are meeting with representatives from Mexico, India and Brazil to discuss the identification and governance of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) - places recognised for their important fauna and flora. The process for identifying KBAs is the focus of a project…