|
|
|
IUCN
RED LIST CATEGORIES VERSION 3.1
The
IUCN Red List Categories are intended to be an easily
and widely understood system
for classifying species at high risk of global extinction.
The general aim of the system
is to provide an explicit, objective framework for the
classification of the broadest range
of species according to their extinction risk. However,
while the Red List may focus
attention on those taxa at the highest risk, it is not
the sole means of setting priorities
for conservation measures for their protection.
Extensive
consultation and testing in the development of the system
strongly suggest that
it is robust across most organisms. However, it should
be noted that although the system
places species into the threatened categories with a
high degree of consistency,
the criteria do not take into account the life histories
of every species. Hence,
in certain individual cases, the risk of extinction
may be under- or over-estimated.
download document PDF
|
