The IUCN Red List was established in 1964 and is the most comprehensive collection on the planet for learning about the current status of animal, plant, and fungi species. IUCN stands for International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List, as the name implies, is the most precise indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity. It not only serves as a health biodiversity indicator, but it also provides various solutions for saving endangered species, actions that must be taken to save biodiversity, and much more.
International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species is also known as the Red Data Book as it provides information on the extinction risk of animals, plants, and fungi. The Red List database is massive, and it is constantly updated with new information. To ensure the accuracy of the data on the IUCN Red List, the database will be updated at least twice a year so that we have the most recent information about the species.
Objectives of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species:
Let us now go over the main objectives and goals of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species’ primary goal is to provide advanced scientific information on the current status of animals, fungi, and plants.
- The second major goal of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species is to provide biodiversity statistics.
- In addition to the two objectives listed above, the main goal of the IUCN is to raise awareness about biodiversity, to educate people about the importance of biodiversity to future generations, and to develop a roadmap to help us conserve biodiversity.
- The IUCN Red List data is used by many world bank groups to determine the risk of ecological damage caused by large-scale facilities such as factories.
- Zoos and parks use this data to develop new policies that are more beneficial to the animals and to make new arrangements to ensure the safety of more animals.
- Educational institutions also use this data to educate students about the extinction of species and the value of biodiversity.
- Another significant point is that the Global Media uses the same IUCN Red List Data to regularly update the public on species data.
Categories of IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species:
The IUCN Red List primarily differentiates species by category, and each category helps us understand the current extinction ranking. That is, category acts as a tag, allowing us to categorise based on how many people knew about it, the risk of extinction, and whether we have enough data to make a decision. We have 9 categories in the IUCN Red List based on these key points.
| Category | Code | Meaning |
| “Not Evaluated” | NE | Not yet assessed according to criteria |
| “Data Deficient” | DD | Insufficient data to assess |
| “Least Concern” | LC | Species at lower risk |
| “Near Threatened” | NT | Most probably to become endangered |
| “Vulnerable” | VN | Risk of extinction is very high |
| “Endangered” | EN | Greater risk of extinction in the wild |
| “Critically Endangered” | CW | Exceptionally High risk of extinction in the wild |
| “Extinct in the wild” | EW | Only to survive in the natural population |
| “Extinct” | EX | Only to survive in the abundance and diversity |
Threatened categories include Vulnerable, Endangered, and Critically Endangered species. The IUCN Red List evaluates species against five criteria to determine the best category for the species. Population reduction, geographic range, small population size and decline, very small population, and extinction analysis are the criteria used to classify species. The species will fall into one of five categories based on these five criteria. We can also see species moving from one category to another as they improve or become extinct. As a result, the species category will be re-verified based on the most recent analysis.
The IUCN Red List is accessed by trained analysts who are experts in species research and rely on data from papers, books, and field research. The Red List authorities will review all of the expert assessments, and the Red List check unit will reverify everything before publishing it.
List of Critically Endangered Species in India – IUCN Red List (2019-2022):
Note: List of critically endangered species might change based on the most recent statistics and analysis. The below list is based on the last analysis made (September 2021).
Critically Endangered Birds:
As per the IUCN Red List of birds, 15 species of birds from India are critically endangered.
- Aythya Baeri
- Forest Owlet
- Great Indian Bustard
- Bengal Florican
- Siberian Crane
- Spoon-billed Sandpiper
- Sociable Lapwing
- Jerdon’s Courser
- White-backed Vulture
- Red-headed Vulture
- White-bellied Heron
- Slender-billed Vulture
- Indian Vulture
- Pink-headed Duck
- Himalayan Quail
In the lower risk category, the IUCN Red List included 14 bird species as endangered and 51 as vulnerable ones.
Critically Endangered Reptiles:
Below is the list of critically endangered reptiles along with their scientific names.
- Gharial – Gavialis gangeticus
- Hawksbill Turtle – Eretmochelys imbricata
- Leatherback Turtle – Dermochelys coriacea
- Four-toed River Terrapin – Batagur baska
- Red-crowned Roofed Turtle – Batagur kachuga
- Sispara day gecko – Cnemaspis sisparensis
Critically Endangered Mammals:
- Pygmy Hog
- Andaman White-toothed Shrew
- Jenkin’s Andaman Spiny Shrew
- Nicobar White-tailed Shrew
- Kondana Rat
- Large Rock Rat or Elvira Rat
- Namdapha Flying Squirrel
- Malabar Civet
- Sumatran Rhinoceros
- Javan Rhinoceros
Critically Endangered Spiders:
- Rameshwaram Ornamental – Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica
- Metallic Tarantula – Poecilotheria metallica
Critically Endangered Corals:
- Fire corals -Millepora boschmai
Critically Endangered Fishes:
- Pondicherry Shark
- Ganges Shark
- Knife-tooth Sawfish
- Large-tooth Sawfish
- Narrow-snout Sawfish
Key Points about IUCN Red List:
- The IUCN Red List was established in 1964 and stands for International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
- International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species is also known as the Red Data Book
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species’ primary goal is to provide advanced scientific information on the current status of animals, fungi, and plants to preserve biodiversity.
- IUCN Red List is used by variety of people, organisations, government such as Educational Institutions, Zoos, National Parks, Media and etc
- The Red List excludes species hybrids, domesticated taxa, and microorganisms. The IUCN Red List is accessed by trained species researchers who rely on data from papers, books, and field research.
- Based on the most recent statistics and analysis, the list of critically endangered species may change.
- Least concern species are also included in the IUCN Red List because they may one day become one of the most important species on the planet, contributing to global biodiversity.
- There have been a few cases where a species has resurrected after being declared extinct, and these are known as Lazarus species. This could happen if the IUCN Red List declares a species extinct while it is still alive. So IUCN Red List undergoes rigorous verification before announcing a species as extinct.
These are some of the major key points about the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.