A Barometer for Biodiversity
Life on Earth faces mounting threats from climate change, habitat loss and exploitation.
Every species on the planet, from marine invertebrates to giant redwood forests, is feeling the impact of human activities. Amphibians, cycads and trees, and sharks and rays are particularly at risk, but no habitat on Earth is free from the effects of humans, and this has an effect on people too. The fate of Earth's natural systems is inseparable from the future of our food, water and wellbeing.
Of the 172,620 species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, more than 48,000 are threatened with extinction, including 44% of reef building corals and 38% of trees. The Red List of Threatened Species is an essential tool to support the biodiversity of our planet. It is a global database that assesses species' risk of extinction on a spectrum from 'Least Concern' to 'Extinct'. Species labelled 'Critically Endangered', 'Endangered', or 'Vulnerable' are referred to as 'threatened' species.
For the IUCN's Red List, tens of thousands of global assessments are peer-reviewed by experts, and checked by the Red List Unit, before publication. It provides a necessary engine to support standardised conservation science and central tracking and is an accumulation of important information. It allows conservationists to determine what species need action, where the action can take place and what kinds of action will be needed. "It is always just the starting point of conservation action. We need to know what [species] to save before working on conservation action," says Craig Hilton-Taylor, who leads the Red List Unit.
The Red List doesn't just contain a list of species with their Red List status, it also contains a wealth of information on species' habitats, usage, threats, conservation actions and what further actions are needed to improve their status.