What is a conservation status and how is it defined?

A conservation status is a designation based on a scale that indicates the population health of a specific species of plant, animal, fungus, or habitat. The most prominent list is compiled through the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in a database called the IUCN Red List. A species’ conservation status is evaluated by considering the total number of living individuals, rates of population increase/decrease over the last 10 years or 3 generations, the reduction of geographic range, the fragmentation of population distribution, and probabilities of extinction (IUCN, 2021). A more in depth look at the criteria can be found on the International Union for Conservation of Nature website, here.

 

The IUCN scale ranges from species with relatively healthy populations of low risk, to species threatened with extinction, and, in the most extreme case, extinct. Two other categories exist to cover species not considered in the system. The distinct categories are:

 

Least concern (LC): Species boasting a well established, relatively stable population of many individuals.  Examples include great horned owls (Bubo virginianus), moose (Alces alces), and humans (Homo sapiens).

Near Threatened (NT): Species with a decent population of individuals but current trends and data suggest that it could become threatened in the near future. Examples include jaguars (Panthera onca), the plains zebra (Equus quagga), and witches cauldron (Sarcosoma globosum).

 *Please note, this group also includes species identified as “Conservation Dependent (CD),” which rely on conservation efforts to not be threatened with extinction, such as the small giant clam (Tridacna maxima).

Vulnerable (VU): Species at risk of becoming endangered in the wild. Examples include the polar bear (Ursus maritimus), western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis), and rock gnome lichen (Cetradonia linearis).

Endangered (EN): At high risk of going extinct in the wild. Examples include the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens), and whale shark (Rhincodon typus).

Critically Endangered (CR): At extreme risk of becoming extinct or extinct in the wild in the near future. Examples include the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus), Patagonia frog (Atelognathus patagonicus), and hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

Extinct in the Wild (EW): All known individuals live in captivity, cultivation, or outside of its established range. Examples include the Wyoming toad (Anaxyrus baxteri), the Franklin tree (Franklinia alatamaha), and Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis).

Extinct (EX): No living individuals in known existence. Examples include the Saint Helena olive (Nesiota elliptica), Polynesian tree snail (Partula atilis), and the dodo bird (Raphus cucullatus).

Data Deficient (DD): Not enough data exists to accurately assess the specie’s population. Species include the pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus), papaya (Carica papaya), and the long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus).

Not Evaluated (NE): Species population health has yet to be evaluated. As these are not in the IUCN database examples are difficult to offer, but would include the Pacfic marten (Martes caurina).

 

(Source: “IUCN Red List,” 2021)

​

Why are these designations important? 

Such categorizations allow us to take inventory of the plants, animals, fungi and habitats within the natural world. While it is undoubtedly sad to see species disappear (especially as a result of human actions) the population size and health of some species can serve as indicators of the overall health of the habitats or ecosystems in which they reside. Other species, designated as keystone species, play an integral role in their ecosystems as their daily actions impact and regulate the ecological stability for other plants and animals within the same shared ecosystem. Some plant species provide crucial research and ingredients for medicine and medical breakthroughs. We need to ensure the wellbeing of these species! By identifying and monitoring the population health of various species, we can then determine which practices and policies to change, what conservation efforts to undertake, raise public awareness, better understand the roles that species play within the natural world, and examine which new methods yield the most success.

 

What are the limitations of such programs?

While IUCN’ s systematic criteria offer useful guidelines for other programs, the Red List itself can produce some shortcomings. For one, it may overlook the nuances of localized populations and subspecies. Furthermore, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) might lack the ability to create or enforce legislation within a sovereign nation. A country might therefore opt to establish its own institutions to implement such standards and regulations. In the United States for example, the federal government passed the Endangered Species Act of 1973 in an effort to protect vulnerable populations of flora, fauna, and identified critical habitats under federal law. (Harris, 2011, p. 65)

 

That might sound like a stronger endorsement for national, state/territory, or community scale programs. These can be highly effective. In the United States, the Endangered Species Act has prevented 99% of its designated 1,600 plant and animal species from going extinct; but such programs also face constraints (Aguilera, 2019). To state the obvious, governments have more on their plates than the conservation of species; they also represent the rights of its human citizens as well as economic interests. This can lead to a lot of bureaucratic and political conflict, which can delay conservation efforts, or stop them altogether- even if the species is on the brink of extinction. A lack of oversight, public interest, information, funding, or policy changes might also hinder or undermine government led conservation efforts.

 

So, which system does this website incorporate for conservation statuses?

That is the golden question. I am not a biologist. I don’t even play one on TV. And I am certainly not paid to write any of this content. The IUCN, Endangered Species Act, and other government or nongovernment organizations can all offer beneficial information to this website (or any conservation effort, for that matter). However, it should also be acknowledged that any of them could potentially lack data, misrepresent information for various agendas, or offer outdated findings for any single species. Therefore, the most responsible thing for me to do is to consider as much research as possible. This website shall use data made publicly available from organizations including, but not limited to, the IUCN Red List, the database compiled by the US Fish and Wildlife Service called the Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS), or the NatureServe Explorer. Below is my criteria for what sources this website might use and what information it presents:

 

• Trusted organizations must offer established methodical guidelines on how a conservation status is determined. Such guidelines should examine information conducted by reputable organizations, scientific studies, calculations, and observations. For your consideration, I have included links to the parameters implemented by the organizations listed in the paragraph above.

• The organization(s) and publication year(s) of the depicted conservation status will be provided. 

• I may offer further additional designations such as, “KEYSTONE SPECIES,” “THREATENED UNDER ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT,” or “CRITICAL HABITAT,”  if applicable.

• If the photo depicts multiple species as subjects, I will attempt to offer the name and conservation status of each of those species and/or critical habitat.

• Identified species will be accompanied by their binomial nomenclature (scientific latin name) in parenthesis.  If I am not able to confidently identify the species, it will be identified as “unknown.”

• If possible, I will link the source and date (such as “IUCN, 2021”) to the webpage where my information was obtained **Please note, my online platform can only offer one link within my photo captions. If two or more sources or statuses are given, the chosen link will be offered based on my personal preference.**

 

Understand that this is a labor of love; while assessments made on this website are done to the best of my available resources and abilities, they could potentially be flawed, or change as conservation efforts succeed or fail.

 

If you do see an error or irregularity, please feel free to let me know so it can be addressed, and if necessary, corrected.

 

Thank you for reading,

 

Charlie

​

​

References

 

Aguilera, J. (2019, August 14). The Trump Administration's Changes to the Endangered Species Act Risks Pushing More Species to Extinction. Time. https://time.com/5651168/trump-endangered-species-act/

​

Attenborough D, as cited by, International Union for Conservation of Nature, n.d. How the Red List Is Used. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2021-1. https://www.iucnredlist.org/about/uses

 

Harris, J.B.C., Reid, J.L., Scheffers, B.R., Wagner, T.C., Sodhi, N.S., Fordham, D.A., & Brook, B.W. (2011). Conserving imperiled species: a comparison of the IUCN Red List and U.S. Endangered Species Act. Conservation Letters, 5(1), 64-72. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2011.00205.x.

​

International Union for Conservation of Nature (2021). SUMMARY OF THE FIVE CRITERIA(A-E) USED TO EVALUATE IF A TAXON BELONGS IN AN IUCN RED LIST THREATENED CATEGORY (CRITICALLY ENDANGERED, ENDANGERED OR VULNERABLE): Toolbox and evaluation. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2021-1. https://www.iucnredlist.org/resources/summary-sheet.

 

IUCN Red List. (2021, May 22). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IUCN_Red_List