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Revision as of 15:22, 2 April 2004


An endangered species is a species whose population is so small that it is in danger of becoming extinct. Many countries have laws offering special protection to these species (forbidding hunting, banning their habitats from development, etc.) to prevent this.

Many of these laws are controversial. Typical areas of controversy include: criteria for placing a species on the endangered species list, and criteria for removing a species from the list once its population has recovered; whether restrictions on land development constitute a "taking" of land by the government, and the related question of whether private landowners should be compensated for the loss of use of their land; and obtaining reasonable exceptions to protection laws.

A listing as an endangered species can backfire, as it makes a species more valuable and more desirable for collectors and poachers.

The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that endangered species continuing to survive. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation status of a species: not simply the number remaining, but the overall increase or decrease in the population over time, breeding success rates, known threats, and so on.

The best-known worldwide conservation status listing is the IUCN Red List, but many more specialised lists exist.

The following conservation status categories are recommended for use in Misplaced Pages entries. They are loosely based on the IUCN categories.

  • Extinct: the last remaining member of the species had died, or is presumed to have died beyond reasonable doubt. Examples: Thylacine, Dodo.
  • Extinct in the wild: captive individuals survive, but there is no free-living, natural population. Examples: Dromedary, Przewalski's Horse.
  • Critical or critically endangered: faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future.
  • Endangered: faces a very high risk of extinction in the near future.
  • Vulnerable: faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term.
  • Secure or lower risk: no immediate threat to the survival of the species.

Endangered mammals:

Endangered birds:

Endangered reptiles:

Endangered amphibians:

Endangered plants

About 6% of the 300,000 identified species are endangered due to overcollection or destruction of habitat, for example. Pollinator decline is also a factor for some species.

See also

External Links