Wildlife of Pakistan - Otter Specialist Group

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Volume 1: Issue 1: January - March, 2012Abdul Aleem ChaudaryLahoreEmail: aleemc1@gmail.comIUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIESCategories and CriteriaThe ‘IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies’ is widely recognized asthe most comprehensive, objectiveglobal approach for evaluating theconservation status of plant andanimal species. The IUCN Red Listis mainly used to guide conservationactivities of governments, NGOsand scientific institutions. Thescientifically rigorous approach todetermine risks of extinction thatis applicable to all species, hasbecome a world standard. In orderto produce the IUCN Red List ofThreatened Species, the IUCNSpecies Program works with theIUCN Survival Commission (SSC)and with members of IUCN, drawson and mobilizes a network ofscientists and partner organizationsworking in almost every country inthe world, who collectively hold whatis likely the most complete scientificknowledge base on the biology andconservation status of species.The IUCN Red List Categories andCriteria are extensively reviewed.The revised Categories and Criteria(IUCN Red List Categories andCriteria version 3.1) were adoptedby IUCN Council in February 2000and the revised system came intouse in 2001. Guidelines to usethe IUCN Red List Categories andCriteria are regularly reviewed (therecent most review, Version 8.1;August 2010).The goals of the IUCN Red Listare to:Identify and document those speciesmost in need of conservationattention if global extinction ratesare to be reduced; andProvide a global index of the state ofchange of biodiversity.To achieve these Goals, the IUCNRed List aims to:Establish a baseline from whichto monitor the change in status ofspecies;Provide a global context for theestablishment of conservationpriorities at the local level;Pond heron (Ardeola grayii) © Waseem Ahmad Khan, PWFMonitor, on a continuing basis, thestatus of a representative selectionof species (as biodiversity indicators)that cover all the major ecosystemsof the world.Nature of the categoriesThere are nine clearly definedcategories into which every taxonin the world (excluding microorganisms)can be classified (FigureWILDLIFE OF PAKISTAN21
Volume 1: Issue 1: January - March, 2012assessed as LC and informationabout them has been documented,although these taxa have not beenreferred to as “red-listed”. This isespecially important, for example,for taxa that were Red-listed in anearlier edition, but have since beendown-listed.Following is a brief description ofIUCN Red List Categories:EXTINCT (EX)WILDLIFE OF PAKISTAN22Hume’s Wheateer () © Waseem Ahmed Khan, PWF2.1). Complete definitions of thecategories are given in the Boxbelow:The first two categories viz., ‘Extinct’and ‘Extinct in the Wild’ are relativelyself-explanatory.Extinct means that there is noreasonable doubt that the lastindividual has died. Extinct in theWild means that the taxon is extinctin its natural habitat.The following three categories,Critically Endangered, Endangeredand Vulnerable, are Red ListGuidelines 8 assigned to taxa onthe basis of quantitative criteriathat are designed to reflect varyingdegrees of threat of extinction.The category Near Threatened isapplied to taxa that do not qualify asthreatened now, but may be closeto qualifying as threatened. Thecategory Least Concern is applied totaxa that do not qualify (and are notclose to qualifying) as threatened ornear threatened.The remaining two categories do notreflect the threat status of taxa. Thecategory Data Deficient highlightstaxa for which sufficient informationis lacking to make a sound statusassessment. The inclination toassess taxa as Data Deficientmay be very strong; it should beemphasized that assessors mustuse all data available in full whenmaking a Red List assessment.Precise information on scarce taxais usually lacking, and although thecriteria are highly quantitative anddefined, one can use projections,assumptions and inferences in orderto place a taxon in the appropriatecategory. Since Data Deficientis not a category of threat, taxaplaced in this category are not soobviously targets for conservationaction, although their needs mightbe very great. Assessors should usewhatever information is availableand relevant to make assessmentsand place taxa into the DataDeficient category only when thereis really no alternative. Guidance onhandling uncertainty is especiallyrelevant in the case of poorly knowntaxa. The category Not Evaluatedapplies to taxa that have not yetbeen evaluated against the Red ListCriteria.Taxa in all of the IUCN Red ListCategories, except LC and NE, arenormally presented in the Red Listand, consequently, are referred toas “red-listed”. The 2003 updateof the IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies and all subsequent updates(available up to 2010) include all taxaA taxon is Extinct when there isno reasonable doubt that the lastindividual has died. A taxon ispresumed Extinct when exhaustivesurveys in known and/or expectedhabitat, at appropriate times (diurnal,seasonal, annual), throughout itshistoric range have failed to recordan individual. Surveys should beover a time frame appropriate to thetaxon’s life cycles and life formEXTINCT IN THE WILD (EW)A taxon is Extinct in the Wild when itis known only to survive in cultivation,in captivity or as a naturalizedpopulation (or populations) welloutside the past range. A taxon ispresumed Extinct in the Wild whenexhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat, at appropriatetimes (diurnal, seasonal, annual),throughout its historic range havefailed to record an individual.Surveys should be over a time frameappropriate to the taxon’s life cycleand life form.IUCN Red List CategoriesCRITICALLY ENDANGERED (CR)A taxon is Critically Endangeredwhen the best available evidenceindicates that it meets any ofthe criteria A to E for CriticallyEndangered, and it is thereforeconsidered to be facing an extremelyhigh risk of extinction in the wild.ENDANGERED (EN)A taxon is Endangered when thebest available evidence indicates
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