IUCN Red List

 As per the latest information from the IUCN Red List 2019:

• 41% of the amphibians are threatened
• 33% fo the coral-reefs are in the threatened category

A series of Regional Red Lists are produced by countries or organizations, which assess the risk of extinction to species within a political management unit. The IUCN Red List is based upon precise criteria to evaluate the rate of extinction of thousands of species and subspecies. These criteria are relevant to all species and all regions of the world.

The IUCN red list provides taxonomic data, conservation status, and distribution information on species that are facing a high risk of global extinction.

This is an important topic for UPSC and other government exams.

Objectives of IUCN

The International Union for Conservation of Nature works to achieve the following goals:

1. To provide scientific data on the status of species and subspecies at a global level.
2. To address the factors of concern and spread awareness regarding the species and biodiversity extinction.
3. To plan a layout for the conservation of biodiversity.

IUCN Red List Users

The IUCN Red List provides accurate data on the status of different species on the Earth.  This information is used by various departments, institutes, and organizations.

The users of the IUCN Red List are given below:

• Government agencies (National & International)
• Wildlife organizations and departments
• Conservation-related NGOs
• Natural resource planners
• Educational organizations
• Zoos and aquariums
• Media
• Business communities

Purpose of the IUCN Red List Data

The information cited in the IUCN Red List is used by various organizations in the following ways:

• International Agreements such as CITES, Ramsar Convention use the Red List data to make important decisions in sync with the status of nature as and when required.
• World Bank Group performance standard uses the IUCN Red List data to evaluate the risk of damage to biodiversity due to large-scale infrastructures and global projects.
• Zoos and National parks use this information to upgrade important policies like parks regulations from time to time.

Following are the 9 categories in the IUCN red list:

• Extinct (EX) – No known individuals remaining.
• Extinct in the wild (EW) – Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range.
• Critically endangered (CR) – Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
• Endangered (EN) – High risk of extinction in the wild.
• Vulnerable (VU) – High risk of endangerment in the wild.
• Near threatened (NT) – Likely to become endangered soon.
• Least concern (LC) – Lowest risk. Does not qualify for a more at-risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.
• Data deficient (DD) – Not enough data to assess its risk of extinction.
• Not evaluated (NE) – Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria

List of critically endangered species in India as per IUCN Red List 2019

The list of critically endangered species in India from various categories are given below:

Critically Endangered Mammals

1. Pygmy Hog 
2. Andaman White-toothed Shrew 
3. Jenkin’s Andaman Spiny Shrew 
4. Nicobar White-tailed Shrew 
5. Kondana Rat 
6. Large Rock Rat or Elvira Rat 
7. Namdapha Flying Squirrel 
8. Malabar Civet 
9. Sumatran Rhinoceros 
10. Javan Rhinoceros 

Critically Endangered Birds

1. Aythya baeri
2. Forest Owlet
3. Great Indian Bustard
4. Bengal Florican
5. Siberian Crane
6. Spoon-billed Sandpiper
7. Sociable Lapwing
8. Jerdon’s Courser
9. White-backed Vulture
10. Red-headed Vulture
11. White-bellied Heron
12. Slender-billed Vulture
13. Indian Vulture
14. Pink-headed Duck
15. Himalayan Quail

Critically Endangered Reptiles

1. Gharial 
2. Hawksbill Turtle
3. Leatherback Turtle 
4. River Terrapin
5.  Bengal Roof Turtle
6. Sispara day gecko 

Critically Endangered Fishes

1. Pondicherry Shark 
2. Ganges Shark 
3. Knife-tooth Sawfish 
4. Large-tooth Sawfish 
5. Narrow-snout Sawfish