threatened

Threatened is a conservation status used to describe species that are at a high risk of extinction in the wild. The term is commonly used by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an umbrella category that includes three levels: Vulnerable, Endangered, and Critically Endangered. Together these levels indicate increasing levels of risk, with Critically Endangered representing the most severe risk.

The IUCN Red List assesses species using quantitative criteria related to population size and decline, geographic range, degree of population fragmentation, and the probability of extinction within a certain time frame. Thresholds for each category are defined in the Red List Categories and Criteria. A species may be listed as Threatened when it meets the criteria for Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered, or when it is placed in a higher-risk category by assessment.

Threats to threatened species typically include habitat loss, overexploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive species, and conflict with human activities. Conservation actions aimed at threatened species commonly include legal protection, habitat restoration, captive breeding, and strategies to reduce direct mortality and to mitigate threats.

The label is widely used in international and national conservation contexts. It is important to note that “threatened” conveys risk of extinction, not certainty, and statuses can change with new data or conservation success. Near Threatened is a separate category indicating potential future risk and is not itself considered Threatened.