In news- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has updated the Red list of species at the World Conservation Congress in Marseille, France held on September 4, 2021.
Key updates-
- The 30 percent of the species (38,543) that it assessed (138,374) face the threat of extinction.
- Some 902 species are officially extinct.
- Some 80 species are extinct in the wild, 8,404 are critically endangered, 14,647 are endangered, 15,492 are vulnerable and 8,127 are near threatened.
- Four of the seven most commercially fished tuna species have shown signs of recovery.
- The Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) moved from endangered to least concern while the Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) moved from critically endangered to endangered.
- The world’s largest living lizard, the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), has been moved from vulnerable to endangered.
- The species is endemic to Indonesia and occurs only in the World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park and neighbouring Flores.
- 37 per cent of the world’s shark and ray species were threatened with extinction.
About IUCN Red List of Threatened Species-
- It was established in 1964, by the IUCN and has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus and plant species.
- The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity.
- It uses a set of quantitative criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species.
- It provides information about range, population size, habitat and ecology, use and/or trade, threats, and conservation actions that will help inform necessary conservation decisions.
- It is used by government agencies, wildlife departments, conservation-related non-governmental organisations (NGOs), natural resource planners, educational organisations, students, and the business community.
IUCN Red List Categories-
- The IUCN Red List Categories define the extinction risk of species assessed in Nine categories extending from NE (Not Evaluated) to EX (Extinct).
- Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) and Vulnerable (VU) species are considered to be threatened with global extinction.
The IUCN Red List Index (RLI) provides a clearer view of real trends within different taxonomic groups, and for biodiversity as a whole. Currently, the Index is available for five groups: birds, mammals, amphibians, corals and cycads.
Source: DownToEarth
