Another year, another dire assessment of the world’s endangered species.
This year’s update of the the IUCN’s ‘Red List’ of threatened species says 17,291 species out of the 47,677 assessed are officially threatened. That’s about 36%.
Admittedly, that’s a slight improvement on last year, when only 38% of species assessed were classified as threatened. However that’s because 16,928 species out of 44,828 were threatened, so there are actually an extra 363 species in trouble*.
“The scientific evidence of a serious extinction crisis is mounting,” says Jane Smart, director of IUCN’s Biodiversity Conservation Group (press release).
New entries in this year’s list include the Panay Monitor Lizard (Varanus mabitang) which comes in as ‘endangered’ and the Eastern Voalavo (Voalavo antsahabensis), also in the endangered category.
And spare a thought for the Kihansi Spray Toad (Nectophrynoides asperginis) now ‘Extinct in the Wild’.
The full, depressing statistics:
Global figures for 2009 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:
Total species assessed = 47,677
Total Extinct or Extinct in the Wild = 875 (2%) [Extinct = 809; Extinct in the Wild = 66].
Total threatened = 17,291 (36%) [Critically Endangered = 3,325; Endangered = 4,891; Vulnerable = 9,075].
Total Near Threatened = 3,650 (8%).
Total Lower Risk/conservation dependent = 281 (<1%) [this is an old category that is gradually being phased out of the Red List]
Total Data Deficient = 6,557 (14%)
Total Least Concern = 19,023 (40%)
Global figures for 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:
Total assessed = 44,838
Total Extinct or Extinct in the Wild = 869 (2%) [Extinct = 804 ; Extinct in the Wild = 65]
Total threatened = 16,928 (38%) [Critically Endangered = 3,246; Endangered = 4,770; Vulnerable = 8,912]
Total Near Threatened = 3,513 (8%)
Total Lower Risk/conservation dependent = 283 (<1%) [this is an old category that is gradually being phased out of the Red List]
Total Data Deficient = 5,570 (12%)
Total Least Concern = 17,675 (39%)
*And if you want to play the percentages, in 2000 69% of assessed species were endangered (11,406 out of 16,507).