The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. It uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies. These criteria are relevant to all species and all regions of the world. With its strong scientific base, the IUCN Red List is recognized as the most authoritative guide to the status of biological diversity. A series of Regional Red Lists are produced by countries or organizations, which assess the risk of extinction to species within a political management unit.
The conservation status of a group of organisms indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation status: not simply the number of individuals remaining, but the overall increase or decrease in the population over time, breeding success rates, and known threats. Various systems of conservation status exist and are in use at international, multi-country, national and local levels as well as for consumer use.
A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation. They do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or conservation dependent.
A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be endangered in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status.
An IUCN Red List Critically Endangered (CR) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of 2021, of the 120,372 species currently tracked by the IUCN, there are 6,811 species that are considered to be Critically Endangered.
A species that is extinct in the wild (EW) is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as known only by living members kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range due to massive habitat loss.
Bellamya contracta is a species of large freshwater snail with a gill and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Viviparidae.
Hobbseus orconectoides, the Oktibbeha riverlet crayfish, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is found in North America.
Parartemia is a genus of brine shrimp endemic to Australia. One species, P. contracta is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Parartemia contains the following species:
Thermosphaeroma macrura is a species of isopod in the family Sphaeromatidae. It is found in Mexico.
Thermosphaeroma smithi is a species of isopod in the family Sphaeromatidae. It is found in Mexico.
Thermosphaeroma subequalum is a species of isopod in the family Sphaeromatidae.
Tropodiaptomus burundensis is a species of calanoid copepod in the family Diaptomidae.
Typhlatya monae is a species of basket shrimp in the family Atyidae. It is found in the Caribbean and Africa.
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and invasive species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List lists the global conservation status of many species, and various other agencies assess the status of species within particular areas. Many nations have laws that protect conservation-reliant species which, for example, forbid hunting, restrict land development, or create protected areas. Some endangered species are the target of extensive conservation efforts such as captive breeding and habitat restoration.
Lestes disjunctus, the northern spreadwing, is a species of spreadwing in the damselfly family Lestidae. It is found in North America.
Lestes eurinus, the amber-winged spreadwing, is a species of spreadwing in the damselfly family Lestidae. It is found in North America.
Lestes helix is a species of spreadwing in the damselfly family Lestidae. It is found in South America.
Mesocnemis tisi is a species of white-legged damselfly in the family Platycnemididae.
Protea montana also known as the Swartberg sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea within the family Proteaceae, which is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa. In Afrikaans it is known as swartbergsuikerbos.
