The Process

Posted on May 3, 2012 | 0 comments

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In response to the great demand for an applicable Red List method at sub-global scales, there have been official IUCN guidelines for Regional Red Lists since 2003.  These lay out a clear, repeatable protocol that can be used by any country.  Many countries have adopted these new guidelines since 2003, producing National Red Lists that can be now compared consistently over time to create a National Red List Index of species status.  Use of the internationally recognised protocol also allows species assessments conducted in separate countries to be accurately compared across borders, leading to a better understanding of biodiversity status at a regional level.

The process of creating a Red List is as follows:

  1. All information relevant to species’ conservation status is collected, including
    • Species distribution
    • Population trend information
    • Habitat, ecology and life history information
    • Threats to the species
    • Conservation measures currently in place
  2. An assessment of extinction risk is made for all species within a country, using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria and the IUCN Regional Guidelines.
  3. A regional workshop is held in which local species experts review the assessments, make any corrections necessary and add any additional information.
  4. The assessments are collated into a National Red List document.  This should ideally contain all assessed species, not just those classed as threatened.
  5. A Summary Conservation Action Plan may also be created, detailing recommended conservation measures for each threatened species.

It is important to be aware that this project does not provide any quality control of national or regional Red List assessments (the IUCN Red List does, further details can be found on their Assessment Process page).  We can provide support and guidance for the process, and list as many completed assessments as possible, but we do not at any stage review the assessments either prior to or post-publication.  It is the responsibility of the assessor and the relevant national bodies to ensure that their work follows the available guidelines and is completed to the highest standard possible.