Conservation status

The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation status: not simply the number of individuals remaining, but the overall increase or decrease in the population over time, breeding success rates, and known threats. Various systems of conservation status are in use at international, multi-country, national and local levels, as well as for consumer use such as sustainable seafood advisory lists and certification. The two international systems are by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature is the best known worldwide conservation status listing and ranking system. Species are classified by the IUCN Red List into nine groups set through criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation. Also included are species that have gone extinct since 1500 CE. When discussing the IUCN Red List, the official term "threatened" is a grouping of three categories: critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable. Extinct (EX) – No known living individuals Extinct in the wild (EW) – Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range Critically Endangered (CR) – Highest risk of extinction in the wild Endangered (EN) – Higher risk of extinction in the wild Vulnerable (VU) – High risk of extinction in the wild Near Threatened (NT) – Likely to become endangered in the near future Conservation Dependent (CD) – Low risk; is conserved to prevent being near threatened, certain events may lead it to being a higher risk level Least concern (LC) – Very Low risk; does not qualify for a higher risk category and not likely to be threatened in the near future.