the.com/redlist
nature's most exclusive club, and the only one nobody wants to join.
means a global inventory ranking species by how close they are to vanishing forever, from least concern to extinct.
from launched in 1964 by the international union for conservation of nature, originally as literal loose-leaf pages in red binders so endangered species could be updated fast.
species assessedover 160,000 evaluated as of 2024
nine categoriesfrom least concern to extinct, with three endangered tiers
not lawit flags risk, it does not ban hunting
reassessmentspecies can move down the list if they recover
for instance
vaquita porpoise — fewer than 10 left in mexico's gulf of california, 2024
amur leopard — once down to around 30 in the wild, russia
western black rhino — declared extinct in 2011 after poaching wiped it out
giant panda — downgraded from endangered to vulnerable in 2016