Supporters of IUCN gathered on the sidelines of the 16th CoP to the UN Convention on Biodiversity in Cali, Colombia on 28 October to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and to chart an ambitious path forwards for expanding the “barometer of life”.

Forty-four per cent of reef-building coral species globally are at risk of extinction, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ reveals following a global assessment announced today at the ongoing COP29 UN climate conference in Azerbaijan.

The first Global Tree Assessment shows 38% of the world’s trees are threatened, according to the IUCN Red List. The latest update of the Red List also highlights the Western European hedgehog is in decline, causing its status to increase to Near Threatened.

As countries report on species trends as part of their commitments towards the Global Biodiversity Framework, the newly published "IUCN SSC Guidelines for Establishing a National Red List Programme" will support practitioners to develop national Red Lists around the world.

The latest IUCN Red List (2024-1) reveals the Bornean Elephant is Endangered due to human activities, invasive snakes are driving endemic reptiles on the Canary Islands and Ibiza to extinction, while illegal trade and climate change threaten cacti in Chile.

The Iberian Lynx has improved from Endangered to Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ [new assessment to be published on the Red List on 27 June], continuing its dramatic recovery from near extinction thanks to sustained conservation efforts.

Against the backdrop of the ongoing fourth global coral bleaching event, IUCN, Arizona State University, Cordio East Africa, and the MSC Foundation are intensifying their collaborative efforts to address the escalating threat facing coral reefs worldwide.

Crossroads blog: The world's countries are conserving more places. But in some cases, what's being protected isn't what would make the biggest difference for biodiversity. we need a clearer definition of what it is we truly should be conserving.

As the world teeters on the precipice of environmental devastation, BirdLife’s contribution to the 2023 IUCN Red List provides a stark reminder that we are losing birds at an unprecedented rate...

Today the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has been updated! With the publication of around 4,000 new tree assessments the total number of tree species on the IUCN Red List is over 40,000.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 11 December 2023 (IUCN) – Climate change threatens a growing number of species, from Atlantic salmon to green turtles, today’s update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ reveals.

Habitat destruction and disease are both well-documented causes of the decline of amphibians—among the most threatened animals on the planet—but a new paper analysing two decades’ worth of data has found that climate change is emerging as one of the biggest threats to amphibians.

Ahead of World Rhino Day on 22 September 2023, African authorities have estimated that there were 23,290 rhinos across the continent at the end of 2022, 5.2% more than in 2021. Nonetheless, at least 561 rhinos were illegally killed (poached) across the continent during 2022.

Recently, the IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group and other partners co-hosted an International Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence. Read the media story for a summary of the outcomes.

Hundreds of representatives from conservation organisations, academia, governments, businesses and indigenous and local communities from six continents and 70 countries will meet for the International Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence, hosted by IUCN.

The MSC Foundation and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) today announced a new partnership to conserve and restore threatened coral reefs.

Today, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) announces that two iconic Chicago institutions - Shedd Aquarium and The Morton Arboretum - have been named as Centers for Species Survival.

On World Wildlife Day the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) joins the wider IUCN in celebrating the thousands of species experts and partners who work with us around the world to protect and recover the plants, animals and fungi we share this planet with.

Working with the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency and the Hellenic Zoological and Botanical Societies, in January, IUCN provided Red List training for 47 Greek scientists in the 1st working meeting for the National Red List of Greece.

The 2022-2 IUCN Red List update includes 1,104 new tree species assessments, contributing to BGCI’s Global Tree Assessment initiative. As of today, the number of tree assessment available on the IUCN Red List is 38,256 assessments.

The 2022-2 IUCN Red List highlights a barrage of threats affecting marine species, including illegal and unsustainable fishing, pollution, climate change and disease.

The first European assessment of hoverflies highlights 37% of these essential pollinators are threatened with extinction. Intensive agriculture, harmful pesticides, unsustainable commercial forestry, urban development and climate change are the main threats.

Rhino poaching rates have declined since 2018, according to a new report by the IUCN SSC African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC for the CITES Conference of the Parties meeting, which will be held in Panama in November.

In today’s IUCN Red List update: known for its spectacular annual journey across the Americas, the Migratory Monarch Butterfly is now Endangered; all surviving sturgeon species are now listed as threatened; and a reassessment of the Tiger reveals new population figures.

IUCN welcomes with relief and gratitude the negotiated decisions on fishing subsidies made yesterday by the world’s Trade Ministers at the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) MC12 Trade Ministers’ forum.

German Development Cooperation and the Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP) have contributed a total of €47.5 million for tiger conservation in Asia since its inception in 2014. This new contract guarantees that the programme will now run until 2027.

The IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group has developed the foundations for an expert-driven innovative approach, ensuring discrete portions of critical habitats are delineated and used in site-based conservation and management initiatives.

More than one in five of the world’s reptiles are threatened with extinction, according to the Global Reptile Assessment published on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM.

Conservation efforts for other animals have likely helped protect many reptile species, according to a new study in Nature led by NatureServe, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Conservation International.

Freshwater ecosystems hold a large amount of the world’s species and genetic diversity. These ecosystems and species are under threat. A newly formed IUCN SSC task force will contribute to halting this biodiversity decline.

Within the framework of the project Accelerating Tiger Recovery Along the Thailand-Myanmar Border, IUCN is pleased to announce a request for proposals for tiger conservation in the western portion of Thailand’s Western Forest Complex.

“Wetlands Action for People and Nature” – that is the theme for World Wetlands Day this year, focusing on how to invest our human resources into ensuring the world’s wetlands are protected from further loss and restored where they are currently degraded.

Research from Queen’s University Belfast added assessments for 184 deep-sea molluscs endemic to hydrothermal vents to the IUCN Red List. Almost two-thirds are threatened, highlighting the urgent need to protect them from extinction.

IUCN Red List update: the widespread loss of marshes, swamps, free-flowing rivers and other wetland habitats, mostly driven by global expansion of unsustainable agriculture and urbanisation, is driving the decline of dragonflies worldwide.

Three Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) awarded for the Endangered Caspian Seal (Pusa caspica) announced as part of a tranche of 14 new IMMAs for the marine mammals of the Black Sea, Turkish Straits and Caspian Sea.

A team of experts from Spain and Morocco has joined forces to tag with GPS and satellite transmitters 12 Rüppell's Vultures from the Jbel Moussa Vulture Recovery Centre (CRV) in northern Morocco, near the Strait of Gibraltar.

A new project between Viet Nature Conservation Centre and BirdLife International is building capacity of protected area staff to monitor and conserve the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Black-faced Spoonbill and other threatened migratory species.

For the first time, world leaders have clearly recognised the interlinked relationship between the global biodiversity and climate crises and the critical role that nature plays in both adaption and mitigation.

During the 10 November plenary session of the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland (COP26), IUCN Director General Dr Bruno Oberle delivered IUCN’s statement on the many ways that nature can help address the climate crisis. Read the full statement on the IUCN website.

Eleven habitats of threatened Black Sea harbour porpoises, bottlenose dolphins and common dolphins have been formally awarded Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) status by the IUCN Task Force on Marine Mammal Protected Areas.

Over 70 wild relatives of some of the world’s most important crops are threatened with extinction, according to a new IUCN co-authored study launched today at the IUCN World Conservation Congress. These plants provide essential genetic resources to develop robust crops.

The IUCN World Conservation Congress – the world’s largest and most inclusive environmental decision-making forum – opened yesterday in Marseille, France, with an address by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

Four commercially-fished tuna species are on the path to recovery thanks to the enforcement of regional fishing quotas over the last decade, while 37% of the world’s sharks and rays are now threatened with extinction, according to today’s update of the IUCN Red List.

The State of the World’s Trees report, published by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), reveals that 30% (17,500) of tree species are currently at risk of extinction. Over 440 species are on the brink of extinction, with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the wild.

Applying Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK) to IUCN Red List assessments: the IUCN Red List Committee and the IUCN CEESP-SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods (SULi) Specialist Group welcomes input from IUCN members and other experts for an open consultation process.

IUCN welcomes IPBES-8 plenary decision to approve the scoping reports of the ‘nexus’ and ‘transformative change’ assessments, and encourages the IUCN constituency to engage actively with the assessments process.

To celebrate International Tiger Day, IUCN released the Phase I impact report of the Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme, containing data and lessons learned from projects implemented in priority landscapes across six Tiger Range Countries between 2015 and 2021.

A Conservation Biology paper published today outlines the first IUCN Green Status of Species assessments. From California condors to East Asian mangroves, the Green Status shows specific conservation metrics for focal species.

Bringing IUCN expertise, standards, knowledge products and data into the processes and outcomes of the new ISO technical committee on biodiversity will be beneficial to the mainstreaming of biodiversity into societies.

In the Madagascar lowlands, rainforest on Tsitola Mountain has suffered from years of burning for grazing and agriculture. With help from IUCN Save Our Species, a reforestation nursery and conservation project is encouraging the local community to replenish and protect the forest.

Copiapoa cactus plants confiscated in 2020 in Italy in the largest seizure of illegally traded cacti to date are returning back to Chile.

According to a new report from IUCN-Med, dung beetles are facing major losses of suitable habitats due to the decline of traditional livestock farming practices and the abandonment of rural environments, as well as chemical contamination of dung by veterinary medical products.

The STAR metric assesses the potential for conserving biodiversity and set targets compatible with the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Strategy. This ground-breaking approach has promising results for forest restoration projects.

People in Nature (PiN) provides an assessment framework to aid project development through an understanding of community uses of biodiversity.

Ensuring sustainability of crop and timber production would mitigate the greatest drivers of terrestrial wildlife decline, responsible for 40% of the overall extinction risk of amphibians, birds and mammals, according to a paper published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

Following population declines over several decades due to poaching for ivory and loss of habitat, the African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) is now listed as Critically Endangered and the African Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana) as Endangered.

Businesses committed to address the biodiversity risks and opportunities associated with their activities increasingly need information about the status of species and habitats found across their operations and in their supply chains.

This innovative partnership model aims to respond to the environmental and financing challenges of nature conservation in the Mediterranean.

Rising global temperature drives species across national borders to find suitable habitat. But physical barriers aren’t the only complication; countries experiencing the greatest species loss may be in the worst position to protect nature.

The IUCN Save Our Species and the BIOPAMA Action Component have awarded EUR 368,939 from the EU and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States to five organisations in Uganda to address biodiversity conservation needs.

Ships operating in the North Pacific pose a serious threat to Gray Whales (Eschrichtius robustus), according to the first scientific study that examines the impacts of vessel traffic on the species throughout its range.

The ever-increasing pressure on the world’s freshwater fish species, with one in three threatened with extinction, is highlighted in a new report ‘The World’s Forgotten Fishes’ published this week by 16 global conservation organizations.

The Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP) was initiated in 2014 with €20 million. From this, 12 projects were established across six Tiger Range Countries. With Phase 3 of the Programme, ITHCP will operate until the end of 2024, more than 10 years in total.

The IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group Section on Small Apes and the International Collaboration to Conserve Gibbons and Siamang have joined forces with The Hainan Institute of National Parks and Eco Foundation Global to establish the Global Gibbon Network Initiative.

Together with the Ministry of Environment and the National Institute of Biological Resources of the Republic of Korea (ROK), IUCN has launched the IUCN-Republic of Korea Global Red List Partnership.

The European bison has moved from Vulnerable to Near Threatened thanks to continued conservation efforts, according to today’s update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Thirty-one species also move into the Extinct category and all freshwater dolphins are now threatened.

Climate change is now the biggest threat to natural World Heritage, according to a report published today by IUCN. A third of natural World Heritage sites are threatened by climate change, including the Great Barrier Reef, assessed as having a “critical” outlook for the first time.

On International Gibbon Day, IUCN Save Our Species announces it is launching a new Gibbon conservation initiative this year to save four Critically Endangered and Endangered gibbon species.

National governments have fallen short on delivering conservation commitments for protected and conserved areas under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, despite expansion in protected areas over the last decade, according to a new publication in Nature.

IUCN is deeply saddened by the passing of eminent conservationist Professor Dame Georgina Mace – a leader in the fight against global biodiversity loss, who made key contributions to The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the Union at large.

The snow leopard is facing extinction, with around 7,500 indivduals left in the wild according to recent estimates. Conservationists and local communities are commited to preventing the extinction of this 'ghost of the mountains' within Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

The IUCN SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force (“the Task Force”) today announces the approval of thirteen new Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) in the Extended Southern Ocean Region.

A total of six million Euros in emergency relief funding to address biodiversity conservation needs brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic is being made available for distribution through two complementary programmes managed by IUCN.

The IUCN SSC African Elephant Specialist Group expresses its concern about the reported mysterious mass die-off of African elephants (Loxodonta africana). It is estimated that over 250 elephants have died in the Okavango Panhandle of Botswana since March 2020.

Almost a third (31%) of all lemur species in Madagascar are now Critically Endangered, with 98% of them threatened, according to the update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM.  The update also lists the North Atlantic Right Whale and European Hamster as Critically Endangered.

The African Black Rhino remains Critically Endangered, but its population is slowly increasing as conservation efforts counter the persistent threat of poaching, according to today’s update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM.

At the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species, IUCN, Toyota and the Government of India hosted a panel discussion highlighting the importance of the Red List and private sector engagement for catalysing urgent species conservation action.

Conservation efforts have led to improvements in the status of ten species, according to today’s update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM. This includes the recovery of the Guam Rail, a bird previously listed as Extinct in the Wild.

Over half (58%) of Europe’s endemic trees are threatened with extinction. The introduction of invasive species, unsustainable logging and urban development are key threats causing the decline of tree species, such as the horse-chestnut across Europe.

In August 2019, ConservationTraining.org will be migrating all of its online courses to a new Learning Management System. During this period, the online Red List Training course will be unavailable. We expect the course to be back online on 19th August.

Between 1910 and 2010, tiger populations plummeted dramatically. On International Tiger Day, we celebrate just some of the successes that an integrated, global approach for tiger conservation has facilitated to save this charismatic species from extinction.

A novel method incorporating remote sensing data into species mapping demonstrates how the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species continues to evolve, increasing in accuracy and impact as new technologies emerge.

Overfishing has pushed two families of rays to the brink of extinction, while hunting for bushmeat and habitat loss have led to the decline of seven primate species, according to the latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

IUCN is deeply concerned about ongoing and new threats to the Critically Endangered Tapanuli orangutan in Sumatra, Indonesia, calling for development and adoption of a conservation management plan.

The IUCN/TRAFFIC Analyses of Proposals to amend the Appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are now available online.

Fifty five marine areas in the western Indian Ocean and Arabian Seas identified by the IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force.

Reconnecting people with nature was a hot topic during Europarc 2018, the yearly conference of Protected Areas in Europe. Involving youth in our organisations is a crucial step for this, according to Europarc’s director, Carol Richie.

The Oceans, Coasts and Coral Reefs Specialist Group has published its report in a series highlighting ongoing work under each WCEL Specialist Group.

The findings from the recent Ramsar Global Wetland Outlook report were sobering: wetlands, the world’s most valuable ecosystems, are disappearing three times faster than forests.

A new IUCN-backed scientific article published today finds that threatened western gray whales are at “very high risk” of entanglement in coastal salmon nets near Russia’s Sakhalin island, which often leads to their injury or death. 

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is moving to this new web platform. We will run both websites in parallel until later in the year, when we will switch the current website with this new one.

NB: All users need to register for a new user account for saving searches and downloading data

Birdlife international interview Chief Scientist, Stuart Butchart, about a newly published paper: State of the World’s Raptors. What threats face this iconic group of birds, and what can we do to help?

Eight bird species, including two species of macaw, look set to have their extinctions confirmed following a robust new assessment of Critically Endangered species.