conservationstatus

Conservation status is a term used to describe the risk that a species, subspecies, or ecosystem faces of extinction or long-term decline. It is used by researchers, conservation organizations, and governments to prioritize actions and allocate resources.

Globally, the most widely used framework is the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It classifies taxa into categories: Extinct (EX), Extinct in the Wild (EW), Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU), Near Threatened (NT), Least Concern (LC), Data Deficient (DD), and Not Evaluated (NE).

Assessments are based on explicit criteria related to population size and trends, geographic range, and quantitative analyses of extinction risk. These include the rate of population decline, the size of the geographic range and degree of fragmentation, the number of mature individuals, and the probability of extinction derived from demographic or statistical models.

Conservation status informs policy and practice, guiding legal protections, habitat management, restoration, and funding decisions, as well as public awareness campaigns. National and regional lists may use different categories or thresholds, and ecosystem-level assessments apply similar principles to habitats rather than species.

Limitations include data gaps, taxonomic uncertainties, and time lags between data collection and assessment. Status can change with new information, conservation actions, or environmental shifts, so regular updates are essential.