Archived News

The release of the first ever IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ assessment of northeast Atlantic sharks, rays and chimaeras reveals that 26 percent are threatened with extinction and another 20 percent are in the Near Threatened category.

The total number of threatened species may well be higher as there was insufficient information to assess more than a quarter (27 percent) of the species.

The report, released by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG), reveals that shark, ray and chimaera species are much more threatened in the northeast Atlantic than they are globally. Specifically, seven percent of species in the northeast Atlantic are classified as Critically Endangered, seven percent as Endangered, and 12 percent as Vulnerable, primarily due to overfishing. This means 26 percent are threatened in the northeast Atlantic, compared with 18 percent globally.

One-third of the reef building corals are threatened with extinction. What can be done to protect our oceans and the marine ecosystems on which the health of our planet depends. HRH Prince Khaled bin Sultan announced the launch of a three-year expedition and gave an exclusive interview for IUCN web TV.

It's time to wake up and take action to protect the planet's natural wealth, that's the message of the first part of IUCN's World Conservation Congress.

More than 8,000 specialists from the conservation community, governments, NGOs, academia, private sector, women and indigenous groups have gathered in Barcelona to discuss the most pressing issues of our time.

"In the last four days the call to protect the planet has been heard from both government leaders and the NGO community," says Valli Moosa, President of IUCN. "Environmental concerns are now at the top of the decision-makers priority list."

"Absolutely everyone now agrees that we can’t postpone decisive action if we are to avoid major disruptions in all spheres of human and natural activities" says Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. "Business as usual is simply not an option."

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ announced on Monday that the world's mammals face an extinction crisis, with almost one in four at risk of disappearing forever. The paper summarizing this comprehensive assessment is published today in the esteemed journal Science.

The new study to assess the world's mammals shows at least 1,141 of the 5,487 mammals on Earth are known to be threatened with extinction. At least 76 mammals have become extinct since 1500. But the results also show conservation can bring species back from the brink of extinction, with five percent of currently threatened mammals showing signs of recovery in the wild.

"The reality is that the number of threatened mammals could be as high as 36 percent," says Jan Schipper, of Conservation International and lead author in the Science article. "This indicates that conservation action backed by research is a clear priority for the future, not only to improve the data so that we can evaluate threats to these poorly known species, but to investigate means to recover threatened species and populations."

The project to assess the world's mammals was conducted with help from more than 1,800 scientists from over 130 countries. It was made possible by the volunteer help of IUCN Species Survival Commission’s specialist groups and the collaborations between top institutions and universities, including Conservation International, Sapienza Università di Roma, Arizona State University, Texas A&M University, University of Virginia, and the Zoological Society of London.

The paper is titled "The Status of the World's Land and Marine Mammals: Diversity, Threat, and Knowledge".

Barcelona, Spain – The most comprehensive assessment of the world's mammals has confirmed an extinction crisis, with almost one in four at risk of disappearing forever, according to The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, revealed at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona.

The new study to assess the world's mammals shows at least 1,141 of the 5,487 mammals on Earth are known to be threatened with extinction. At least 76 mammals have become extinct since 1500. But the results also show conservation can bring species back from the brink of extinction, with five percent of currently threatened mammals showing signs of recovery in the wild.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is long established as the world's most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of plants and animals. This week a new publication entitled "Review of the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™" was released at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Each section explores a different aspect or biodiversity realm of the IUCN Red List, including: - The IUCN Red List: a key conservation tool - Freshwater biodiversity: a hidden resource under threat - Status of the world's marine species - Broadening the coverage of biodiversity assessment - Species susceptibility to climate change impacts - The Mediterranean: a biodiversity hotspot under threat

For the first time, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals is monitoring the world’s plants and animals using the IUCN Red List Index.

Until now, the seventh Millennium Development Goal, to ensure environmental sustainability, has not included any mention of biodiversity or the need to save species as a critical contribution to human development.

But with the launch of the latest Annual Report on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, in advance of the High-level Event on the Millennium Development Goals at UN Headquarters in New York on 25 September, 2008, the goal now includes the aim to “significantly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010” as one of its targets. Progress will be monitored by measuring the proportion of species threatened with extinction – calculated by the IUCN Red List Index.

Common birds are in decline across the world, providing evidence of a rapid deterioration in the global environment that is affecting all life on earth – including human life. All the world’s governments have committed themselves to slowing or halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010. But reluctance to commit what are often trivial sums in terms of national budgets means that this target is almost certain to be missed.

These are some of the stark messages from State of the Worlds Birds, a new publication and website (www.birdlife.org/sowb) launched today at BirdLife International’s World Conference in Buenos Aires.

The most comprehensive update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ will be unveiled at IUCN's World Conservation Congress in Barcelona on Monday, October 6, 2008.

The IUCN Red List is now expected to cover more than 45,000 species. Not all the world’s species have been assessed, but coverage is increasing every year. This year's update will include the results of the Global Mammal Assessment covering 5,490 mammals.

An in-depth analysis of the latest IUCN Red List will be released with The 2008 review of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. In addition, a new IUCN Red List logo has been launched to create a more user-friendly image for the general public, as well as zoos and aquariums around the world.