Search results
WWF is committed to saving endangered species. Learn more about the species we are working to protecting from becoming endangered or extinct.
The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria are intended to be an easily and widely understood system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction. It divides species into nine categories: Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild and Extinct.
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, invasive species, and climate change. [1]
The World's 100 most threatened species is a compilation of the most threatened animals, plants, and fungi in the world. It was the result of a collaboration between over 8,000 scientists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC), along with the Zoological Society of London . [2]
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological species.
While there have been amazing and inspirational wildlife successes and stories in the past, many animals are still endangered mostly due to unsustainable human-led activities. Currently, on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, more than 41,000 species have been assessed to be under threat of extinction.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus and plant species. Open to all, it is used by governmental bodies, non-profit organisations, businesses and individuals.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, objective assessment system for classifying the status of plants, animals, and other organisms threatened with extinction. Unveiled in 1994, the list contains criteria and categories to classify species on the basis of their probability of extinction.
Currently, there are more than 163,000 species on The IUCN Red List, with more than 45,300 species threatened with extinction, including 41% of amphibians, 37% of sharks and rays, 36% of reef building corals, 34% of conifers, 26% of mammals and 12% of birds.
These tables include number of species tagged as 'Possibly Extinct' (CR (PE)) and 'Possibly Extinct in the Wild' (CR (PEW)). These figures are included to give an upper estimate for total number of recently extinct species on The IUCN Red List.
