IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Red listing is an important tool for identifying species at risk of extinction and for raising awareness of species and habitats loss, in addition to helping policymakers and communities prioritise conservation actions and measures needed to sustain biodiversity.

Example of a Red list assessment: Changnienia amoena (Rchb.f.) O'Brien Status: Endangered, A2c.

For further information regarding the Conservation Assessment and Red listing of Orchids contact the Orchid Red List Authority Focal Point.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species provides taxonomic, conservation status and distribution information on taxa that have been globally evaluated using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. This system is designed to determine the relative risk of extinction, and the main purpose of the IUCN Red List is to catalogue and highlight those taxa that are facing a higher risk of global extinction - those listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable. The taxa assessed for the IUCN Red List are the bearers of genetic diversity and the building blocks of ecosystems, and information on their conservation status and distribution provides the foundation for making informed decisions about conserving biodiversity from local to global levels.

For full information on the Orchids Red list programme, please visit: http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/search