Subject: IUCN Red list
Dear Natural History Network members:
Before beginning the series of messages which will introduce the Revised
IUCN Red List Criteria, the CAMP - Conservation Assessment and management
Plan Process, the Conservation Breeding Group, we should tell you a little
about our organisation.
Zoo Outreach Organisation was founded because we felt the potential of zoos
in India was not being fully recognised or realised. There were many
wildlife, conservation and environmental organisations, many nature and
eco-clubs, many publications about sancturies, national parks and forests...
but nothing for zoos. Much of what you heard about zoos was negative and
critical. We started Z.O.O. to be a positive force for zoos.
Over the last ten years as the scope of conservation management has become
more accurately defined, the line between various disciplines required to
save species from extinction has become very fine. One of the problems that
has emerged is a lack of communication and coordination between disciplines.
Zoo Outreach Organisation has taken on the role of a neutral link between
individuals, organisations and institutions involved in wildlife and zoo
conservation activities to insure that all are exposed to the most up to
date information.
Whereas the Central Zoo Authority, Government of India provides
co-ordination, and the Indian Zoo Directors Association assures cooperation,
and the Zoo Consultance Project, Wildlife Institute of India, promotes
collaboration, the Zoo Outreach Organisation takes care of communication,
networking, dissemination of information.
Any questions ? Tomorrow we will introduce the Conservation Breeding
Specialist Group, SSC, IUCN for which ZOO has formed a Regional Network in
India, and the following days CAMP workshops, IUCN Red List criteria
(revised), the Biodiversity Conservation Prioritisation Project, and finally
-- one by one -- the results of the seven conservation assessment workshops
done in 1997 which assessed the conservation status of nearly 1700 organisms
in India utilising the expertise of more than 200 Indian field biologists.
More later,
Sally Walker and Sanjay Molur
Zoo Outreach Organisation/CBSG, India
From owner-nathistory-india@lists.Princeton.EDU Mon Jul 6 10:23:38 1998
Received: from iisc.ac.in by ces.iisc.ac.in (ERNET-IISc/SMI-4.1)
id KAA26371; Mon, 6 Jul 1998 10:22:44 +0530
Received: from mail-relay-blr.ac.in by iisc.ac.in (ERNET-IISc/SMI-4.1)
id KAA26586; Mon, 6 Jul 1998 10:24:23 +0530 (GMT+0530)
Received: from outbound.Princeton.EDU (outbound.Princeton.EDU [128.112.128.88])
by mail-relay-blr.ac.in (8.9.0/8.9.0) with ESMTP id KAA11151;
Mon, 6 Jul 1998 10:21:38 +0530 (GMT+0530)
Received: from IDENT-NOT-QUERIED@lists.Princeton.EDU (port 1905 [128.112.129.249]) by outbound.Princeton.EDU with ESMTP id <541931-19593>; Mon, 6 Jul 1998 00:45:36 -0400
Received: by lists.Princeton.EDU id <370058.s2-1>; Mon, 6 Jul 1998 00:44:59 -0400
Received: from giasmd01.vsnl.net.in ([202.54.6.1]) by lists.Princeton.EDU with ESMTP id <370058.s2-1>; Mon, 6 Jul 1998 00:41:41 -0400
Received: from 202.54.6.1 (giasmd01.vsnl.net.in [202.54.6.1])
by giasmd01.vsnl.net.in (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id KAA17729
for ; Mon, 6 Jul 1998 10:18:32 +0530 (IST)
Message-Id: <1.5.4.16.19980707101111.3ebf6c4c@202.54.6.1>
Date: Mon, 6 Jul 1998 10:18:32 +0530 (IST)
Reply-To: zooreach@giasmd01.vsnl.net.in
Sender: owner-nathistory-india@lists.Princeton.EDU
From: "ZOO OUTREACH ORGANISATION, COIMBATORE,INDIA"
To: Natural History of South Asia - General discussion and research
Subject: Introducing the Revised IUCN Red List Criteria
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
X-Sender: zooreach@202.54.6.1
X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 1.5.4 (16)
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
Status: R
IUCN Red List Categories
Efforts to monitor the earth's resources and activate conservation measures
include the Red Data Books of IUCN, now called the World Conservation Union.
The IUCN Red Data Books have provided a guide for species conservation
status for the last three decades. A few years ago, it was felt that both
the categories and methodology used by individuals compiling the Red Data
Books needed review. Over a seven-year period, the IUCN Criteria for
Endangerment used in compiling Red Data Books, were examined, revised,
reviewed and improved over six different iterations.
The present system, the IUCN Red List Categories, 1994, has been revised and
tested over a four year period to be more objective, numerate, and
consistent for all groups. This new version uses the principles of
conservation biology which have evolved over the last 15 years. The new
Categories provide a methodology for assessment and categorisation, which
can be applied, to any group of organisms (except microorganisms)and is
being used now by conservation actioners and scientists all over the world.
It is considered the best method available at this time for assessing the
conservation status of species.
Still, review is going on and as recently as March 1998 a meeting of people
from different parts of the world using the categories for conservation
assessment to discuss the comments, complaints, etc. received about the Red
List criteria by SSC Chairman after his open request for criticism.
Specific problems in applying categories in different situations for
different animal groups were discussed by this group. Additional guidelines
are forthcoming but the categories as they are will remain, at least for
some time. They are
IUCN Red List Categories -- Definitions
CR - Critically endangered -- a taxon is Critically endangered when it is
facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate
future as defined by the criteria.
EN - Endangered -- a taxon is Endangered when it is not Critically
endangered but is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the
near future as defined by the criteria.
VU - Vulnerable -- a taxon is Vulnerable when it is not Critically
endangered or Endangered but is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild
in the medium term future as defined by the criteria.
LR - Lower risk - a taxon is Low Risk when it has been evaluated and does
not qualify for any of the threatened categories, Critically endangered,
Endangered, Vulnerable, or Data Deficient. (LR-nt - near threatened, LR-lc
-least concern, LR-cd - conservation dependent.
DD - Data deficient - A taxon is Data Deficient when there is inadequate
information to make a direct or indirect assessment of its risk of
extinction based on its distribution and/or population status.
NE - Not evaluated - A taxon is Not Evaluated when it has not yet been
assessed against the criteria.
IUCN Red List Criteria -- these are the criteria by which a category is
derived. In assessing a species it is recommended that all species assessed
should to be evaluated against each criteria but only one criteria is
necessary to derive a category.
A - Population reduction - (1) observed, infered, suspected or estimated
reduction, or (2) projected or predicted reduction of at least 20% (VU), or
50% (EN), or 80% (CR) in 10 years or 3 generations whichever is longer
based on (a) Direct observation; (b) index of abundance appropriate for the
taxon; (c) decline in areas of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or
quality of habitat; (d) actual or potential levels of exploitation; (e)
effects of introduced taxa, hybridisation, pathogens, pollutants,
competitors, or parasites.
B - Restricted distribution -- Extent of occurrence estimated to be less
than -- 20,000 sq km. (VU), or 5,000 sq km (EN) or 100 sq km (CR) and/or
area of occupancy estimated to be less than 2000 sq.km. (VU), or 500 sq km
(EN), or 10 sq km (CR), and qualifying for any two of the following : (1)
severely fragmented, or known to exist in not more than 10 locations (VU),
or 5 locations (EN), or single location (CR); (2) continuing decline,
observed, inferred, projected in any (a) extent of occurance, (b) area of
occupancy; (c) area, extent and/or quality of habitat; (d) number of
locations or subpopulations; (e) number of mature individuals; (3) extreme
fluctuation in either (a) extent of occurance, (b) area of occupancy, (c)
number of populations or subpopulations, (d) number of mature individuals.
C - Population estimates - population estimated to number less than 10,000
(VU), or 2,500 (EN), or 250 (CR) mature individuals and either (1)
estimated, continuing decline of at least 10% in 10 years or 3 generations
or whichever is longer (VU), or 20% in 5 years or 2 generations, whichever
is longer (EN), or -- 25% in 3 years or 1 generation whichever is longer
(CR) OR in (2) continuing decline, observed, projected, inferred, number of
mature individuals and population structure in the form of either (a)
severely fragmented [no subpopulation estimated to contain more than 1000
(VU), or 250 (EN), or 50 (CR) mature individuals] ; (b) all individuals are
in a single subpopulation.
D - Restricted populations - (1) Population estimated to number less than
1000 (VU), or 250 (EN), or 50 (CR) mature individuals; (2) Population
restricted in area of occupancy of less than 100 sq km or less than 5
locations (VU).
E - Probability of extinction - quantative analysis showing the probability
of extinction in the wild is at least 10% in 100 years (VU), or 20% in 20
years or -- 5 generations, whichever is longer (EN), or 50% in 10 years or 3
generations, whichever is longer (CR).
This is a very sophisticated system. It takes lots of practice,
concentration and familiarity with the criteria to derive a category
correctly. The individual deriving the category also is completely dependent
(or should be) on information supplied to him by field biologists who have
studied the species in the wild.
More later. Next ... the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group and CBSG, India
Sally Walker, Sanjay Molur & B.A. Daniel
Zoo Outreach Organisation/CBSG, India
Sally Walker, Zoo Outreach Organisation
Box 1683, 79 Bharati Colony, Coimbatore, 4 India
Alternate email SallyRWalk@aol.com but this one
is more convenient when I am in India.