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The issue is explored in a recent article in New Scientist |
The Red List, produced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is widely recognised as the leading global assessment of extinction risk, and provides an indication of which species are most in need of conservation action. The Red List is also increasingly being used to monitor the success of conservation initiatives, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity.
However, the process of classifying species according to the Red List categories is often highly uncertain, because of the lack of accurate information about the conservation status of many species. This issue is explored in a recent article in New Scientist, which questions whether the Red List is flawed (http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126992.700-flawed-red-list-putting-species-at-risk.html
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The article draws upon a series of papers in the journal Endangered Species Research, including recent research by Prof. Adrian Newton, of the Centre for Conservation Ecology and Environmental Change, which reviews recent progress in Red Listing the world's tree species. http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v6/n2/
Photo credit: Martin Gardner
17/03/09