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Species

The IUCN Global Species Programme, in conjunction with the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and partners, are driving the fight to save species for people and nature.

Home

Key numbers

Assessed

116,177 +

species on the Red List

Threatened

31,030 +

species threatened with extinction

Target

160,000

species which the IUCN Red List aims to assess by 2020

How we engage

Species are critical for a healthy planet, but growing pressures from human activities are putting them at risk of extinction. Habitat destruction, invasive species, overexploitation, illegal wildlife trade, pollution and climate change are threatening the survival of species worldwide.

IUCN is at the forefront of the global fight to save species from extinction. Its Species Survival Commission has over 9000 members, within 160 Specialist Groups. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is used to guide decision making and conservation action. IUCN provides technical expertise for conservation issues and projects.

News

Photo: Ernest Ríos Lanz

Mexican freshwater biodiversity in decline as more than a third of fish species threatened with extinction – IUCN report
15.05.2020
San José, Costa Rica, 15.05.2020 (IUCN) - Thirty-nine percent of Mexico’s freshwater fishes are threatened with extinction, including many endemic species that are economically, culturally and ecologically important, a new joint study led by the International...
Photo: Zeb Hogan

Inland fish and fisheries integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
04.05.2020
Exploring the relationship between well-managed inland fisheries and global sustainability, a paper published today in Nature Sustainability concludes that inland fisheries can contribute substantially to increased food security, poverty alleviation,...
Photo: IUCN

IUCN deplores the brutal killing of 17 people in Virunga National Park
30.04.2020
IUCN is deeply shocked by the tragic loss of 12 park rangers, a staff driver and four civilians close to Virunga National Park, following an attack by armed militia on 24 April. One of the world’s most biodiversity-rich areas and home to the last remaining...