Red List of Endangered Animals
The worldwide declining numbers of endangered animals have raised an alarm. As a preliminary timely measure to safeguard them, a red list of endangered animals has been prepared by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
IUCN was established in 1948 at Gland, Switzerland. It works together with other institutions such as Bird Life International, Institute of Zoology, World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and other specialist groups on IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) for the protection of endangered animals.
About Red List
The red list of endangered animals includes more than 8,400 endangered animals. It has classified all the endangered animals in nine categories based upon the rate of decline, population size, geographic distribution, and degree of population of the endangered animals. The list includes:
1. Extinct (EX): There are no individuals alive in this category. Examples: Javan Tiger, Elephant Bird, Dodo, and Passenger Pigeon.
2. Extinct in the Wild (EW): This includes individuals surviving in captivity only. Examples: Catarina Pupfish, Red-tailed Black Shark, Hawaiian Crow, and Wyoming Toad.
3. Critically Endangered (CR): These animals have an extremely high risk of becoming extinct in recent future. Examples: Mountain Gorilla, Bactrian camel, Giant Turtle, Brown Spider Monkey, Island Fox, and Gharial.
4. Endangered (EN): This includes animals having a very high risk of becoming extinct in near future. Examples: Dhole, Markhor, Blue Whale, Asian Elephant, Giant Panda, and Snow Leopard.
5. Vulnerable (VU): This category includes animals having a high risk of becoming extinct in the medium span of time. Examples: African Elephant, Cheetah, Lion, Indian Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, and Polar Bear.
6. Near Threatened (NT): Animals in this category are likely to become endangered in near future. Examples: Blue-billed Duck, Solitary Eagle, American Bison, and Striped Hyena.
7. Least Concern (LC): This category includes animals at lowest risk of being endangered. Examples: Indian Peafowl, Giraffe, House Mouse, Emperor Penguin, and Common Wood Pigeon.
8. Data Deficient (DD): There is not enough data to make an assessment of endangerment of animals in this category.
9. Not Evaluated (NE): This category includes animals not evaluated against the criteria set up.
The criteria of classification of endangered animals are such that animals with a rate of decline of ninety percent over ten years or three generations have been placed under critically endangered category. A fifty percent decline rate in animals over the same period has placed them in endangered category. Animals with a rate of decline of thirty percent over the same time span have been categorized as vulnerable.
The red list of endangered animals is believed to be the most authentic and comprehensive document prepared by IUCN. It contains the figures of all the endangered animals alive, and is revised every five years or at least every ten years. IUCN Species Survival Commission executes the work of re-evaluation in a peer-reviewed manner.
Criticism of Red List
The preparation of endangered animals red list has been criticized for its secrecy of the sources of data. This allegation has led to reviews from IUCN. Moreover, the list is open to petitions. In addition to it, the red list has been criticized for being prone to misuse by governments or other organizations to draw wrong conclusions.
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