The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animals, fungi and plants.Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.

Core values

- The IUCN Red List generates significant scientific knowledge, with its data frequently cited in peer-reviewed literature and used by academics worldwide[5].
- It raises public awareness about species conservation and environmental issues through media, educational institutions, and public displays[5].
- The IUCN Red List informs environmental impact assessments, policy decisions, and international conventions such as the Ramsar Convention and IPBES[5].
- It guides targeted conservation actions, influences resource allocation by funding bodies like the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and other conservation funds, and helps in the development of initiatives like Net Positive Impact (NPI) and the Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric[5].
- The data from the IUCN Red List contributes to human health by helping researchers understand disease vectors and by highlighting the importance of medicinal plants and crop wild relatives[5].
- The Red List drives extensive and effective planning, policy, and action, reducing threats to species, decreasing extinction risk, and promoting recovery. It also promotes a vision of a world living in harmony with nature[4].