View source for Wikipedia:Conservation status

These [[conservation status]] categories are used in [[Wikipedia]] articles.

For '''threatened species and species believed to have become extinct after [[1500]]''', the categories are based on the [[IUCN Red List |IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) Red List]] 1994 or 2001 categories. Such species should be classified using the [[World Conservation Union|IUCN]] criteria directly using the most up-to-date database; the criteria given here are only a summary.

==Category systems==
* "global?" in descriptions means "Is the species entire (global) range assessed?"
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===Global===
==== [[IUCN Red List]] Categories & Criteria v3.1 (since 2001) ====
[[Image:Status iucn3.1_blank.svg|200px|right]]
;status_system:  <code>IUCN3.1</code>
;global? : '''Yes''' (except "stocks and populations")
;status: EX EW CR EN VU NT LC DD NE PE PEW
;status_ref: {{tl|Cite iucn}}
;Link: [http://www.iucnredlist.org/info/categories_criteria2001] (criteria)
: [http://www.iucnredlist.org/] (search)
;Notes:  PE and PEW (''Probably Extinct'' and ''Probably Extinct in the Wild'') are not official IUCN categories, but PE has been adopted by [[Birdlife International]], and the terms appear within the IUCN Red List entries.
:EX = Extinct
:EW = Extinct in the wild
:CR = Critically Endangered
:EN = Endangered
:VU = Vulnerable
:NT = Near Threatened
:LC = Least Concern
:DD = Data deficient
:NE = Not evaluated
:PE = Probably extinct (informal) – displays [[:file:Status iucn3.1 CR.svg|CR status image]] with caption: [[Critically endangered]], possibly extinct
:PEW = Probably extinct in the wild (informal) – [[:file:Status iucn3.1 CR.svg|CR status image]] with caption: [[Critically endangered]], possibly extinct in the wild
:NR = outputs "Not recognized"; use of this value is deprecated
----

==== [[IUCN Red List]] Categories & Criteria v2.3 (1994-2000) ====
[[Image:Status iucn2.3_blank.svg|200px|right]]        
;status_system: <code>IUCN2.3</code>
;global? : '''Yes''' (except "stocks and populations")
;status: EX EW CR EN VU LR/cd LR/nt LR/lc DD NE PE PEW
;status_ref: <nowiki><ref name="iucn">{{IUCN2008}}</ref></nowiki>
;Link: [http://www.iucnredlist.org/info/categories_criteria1994]
;Notes:  LR/cd = Lower Risk (conservation dependent). Other as per IUCN 3.1
----

====[[CITES]]====
;status_system: <code>CITES</code>
;global? : '''Yes''' (except Appendix III)
;status: CITES_A1 CITES_A2
;status_ref: 
;Link: [http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.shtml CITES appendices] valid from September 13, 2007
;Notes: Only Appendix I and II ("CITES_A1", "CITES_A2") are valid for Wikipedia.<br/>
Appendix I contains highly threatened species; most of these are assessed by IUCN or TNC too however.<br />
Appendix II includes lesser-threatened and look-alike species; this status may be used for the former if no formal status evaluation by IUCN etc exists.<br/>
Appendix III does not include globally threatened species; "CITES_A3" is not to be used anymore.
----

==== [[NatureServe conservation status|TNC (NatureServe) G-ranks and T-ranks]] ====
[[Image:Status TNC blank.svg|200px|right]]
[[Image:Status TNC T blank.svg|200px|right]]
;status_system: <code>TNC</code>
;global? : '''Yes'''. The G- and T- ranks are global for species and infraspecific taxa, respectively ([http://www.natureserve.org/conservation-tools/conservation-status-assessment link]). The non-global N- and S- ranks, for National (N) and Subnational (state/province) assessments, are not supported by the taxobox system. 
;status: GX GH G1 G2 G3 G3 G4 G5 GU <s>GNR</s> TX TH T1 T2 T3 T3 T4 T5 TU
;status_ref: {{tl|Cite NatureServe}}
;Link: [http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/ranking.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205132246/http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/ranking.htm |date=2009-02-05 }}
;Notes:  Does not cover range ranks, uncertain ranks, C qualifier. This is a technical (non-deliberate) limitation.<!-- is range rank handling a wanted feature? -->
----

====Wikipedia specific====
;status_system:  ''none''
;global? : '''Yes'''
;status: DOM Pre Fossil
;Link: [[#Special Wikipedia categories|Explanatory notes]]
;Notes: Domesticated, Prehistoric, and Fossil. Domesticated animals should still use IUCN categories when available for wild populations. No category assigned for "cultivated" (domesticated plants). Note that "domesticated" is a dubious category, not assigned by conservation groups.
----

===Country-specific===
These should only be used if they a) apply to the global population and b) if no global system has assessed the species yet.

==== Australia: [[Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999|EPBC]] (national) ====
[[Image:Status EPBC blank.svg|200px|right]]
;status_system: <code>EPBC</code>
;global? : '''No'''
;status: EX EW CR EN VU CD DL
;status_ref: 
;Link: [http://www.deh.gov.au/epbc/about/index.html Act 1999 & Regulations 2000] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070125022844/http://www.deh.gov.au/epbc/about/index.html |date=2007-01-25 }}<br/>[http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species.html Page linking to EPBCA species lists]
;Notes:  Category abbreviations are not official. DL (Delisted) should only be used on Wikipedia if a species is delisted because it is no longer threatened.
----

==== Australia: [[Department of Environment and Conservation (Western Australia)|DECF]] (Western Australia) ==== 
[[Image:Status DECF blank.svg|200px|right]]
DEC's [[Declared Rare and Priority Flora List]] categories. ([[Western Australia]])
;status_system: <code>DECF</code>
;global? : '''No'''
;status: X R P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 DL
;status_ref:
;Link:
;Notes: DL is for Delisted
----

==== Australia: [[Nature Conservation Act 1992|QLDNCA]] (Queensland) ==== 
;status_system: <code>QLDNCA</code>
;global? : '''No'''
;status: EX EW CR EN VU NT R VU LC  
;status_ref:
;Link:[https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/wildlife/threatened-species/reclassification-process Listing and changing the conservation status of Queensland species]
;Notes: 
----

==== Australia: [[Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW)|NSWBCA]] (New South Wales) ==== 
;status_system: <code>NSWBCA</code>
;global? : '''No'''
;status: CR EN VU  
;status_ref:
;Link:[https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2016-063#pt.4-div.2 Listing of species and ecological communities]
;Notes: 
----

==== Canada: [[COSEWIC]] [[Species at Risk Act]]/SARA ==== 
[[Image:Status COSEWIC blank.svg|200px|right]]
;status_system: <code>COSEWIC</code>
;global? : '''No''' (Canada only)
;status: X XT E T SC NAR DD
;status_ref:
;Link: [https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry.html Species at Risk website]
;Notes: Should only be used for endemic species, as it does not assess global range.
----

==== USA: [[Endangered Species Act|ESA]] ====
[[Image:Status ESA_blank.svg|200px|right]]
;status_system: <code>ESA</code>
;global? : '''Yes'''
;status: EX LE LT DL
;status_ref: 
;Link: [http://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa.html] (ESA legal code)<br/>[http://www.fws.gov/endangered/] (USFWS ESP species search)
;Notes: 
:EX = extinct (ESA status D3A - "delisted, apparently extinct")
:LE = Listed Endangered.
:LT = Listed Threatened
:DL = Delisted &ndash; should only be used on Wikipedia if a species is delisted because it is no longer threatened (ESA status D3C, DM, and possibly DO and DP)
----

==== New Zealand: [[New Zealand Threat Classification System|NZTCS]] ====
[[Image:Status 2008 NZTCS blank.svg|200px|right]]
;status_system: <code>NZTCS</code>
;global? : No (New Zealand only)
;status: EX NC NE NV D R REL NU
;status_ref: 
;Link: [https://www.doc.govt.nz/about-us/science-publications/conservation-publications/nz-threat-classification-system/nz-threat-classification-system-manual-2008/ New Zealand Threat Classification System Manual (2008)], New Zealand Department of Conservation
;Notes: Should only be used for endemic New Zealand species, as it does not assess global range.
:EX = Extinct <br />
:NC = Nationally Critical <br />
:NE = Nationally Endangered <br />
:NV = Nationally Vulnerable <br />
:D  = Declining <br />
:R  = Recovering <br />
:Rel = Relict <br />
:NU = Naturally Uncommon <br />
----

== Detailed IUCN categories == 
* '''Lower Risk''' ('''LR''') was a catch-all category which includes common species as well as those for which there may be conservation concern, but which do not warrant a higher category. This category was removed in the IUCN 3.x criteria, promoting its subcategories to full categories.
** '''LR/cd''' (Conservation Dependent, now part of NT), stable and sizable populations depend on sustained conservation activity. (this category was absorbed by NT in 3.x)
** '''NT''' (Near Threatened, formerly '''LR/nt'''), close to qualifying for listing as Vulnerable but not fully meeting those criteria; slowly declining or fairly small populations but probably no danger of going extinct even without conservation activity in the foreseeable future, or threats suspected to affect taxon in the near future but still avoidable.
** '''LC''' (Least Concern, formally '''LR/lc'''), species that have been evaluated and found to be so common that no conservation concern is projected in the foreseeable future.
:Examples: '''LR/cd''': [[Coast Redwood]]; '''LR/nt''': [[Bigcone Douglas-fir]]; '''LR/lc''': [[Leopard]] (the species as a whole), [[Orca]], [[House Sparrow]].

* '''Vulnerable''' ('''VU'''): faces a considerable risk of extinction in the medium term.
:Examples: [[Ring-tailed Lemur]], [[Great White Shark]], [[Royal Poinciana]].

* '''Endangered''' ('''EN'''): faces a high risk of extinction in the near future.
:Examples: [[Blue Whale]], [[Desert Bighorn Sheep]], [[Giant Panda]], [[Black-footed ferret]] (still "EW" on the IUCN Red List because last reviewed in 1996; currently EN according to ESA or G1 according to the more precise TNC G-ranks).

*  '''Critically Endangered''' ('''CR'''): faces an extremely high risk of [[extinction]] in the immediate future.
:Examples: [[Slender-billed Curlew]], [[Spanish Lynx]], [[Red Wolf]].

* '''Extinct in the Wild''' ('''EW'''): [[captivity|captive]] individuals survive, and/or the species has been reintroduced outside its former natural range, but the species otherwise matches the criteria for "Extinct", such that no free-living, natural population is believed to exist. "Extirpated" is a term used for localized extinctions of extant species; it always refers to a specific area where the species no longer exists.
:Examples: [[Hawaiian Crow]], [[Scimitar Oryx]].

* '''Extinct''' ('''EX'''): extensive and appropriate surveys have failed to record any living members.  The last remaining member is known or strongly suspected to have died later than [[1500]].
:Examples: [[Thylacine]], [[Dodo]], [[Huia]].

* '''Data Deficient''' ('''DD'''): a taxon is listed as Data deficient when there is inadequate information to make an assessment of its risk category, either through lack of knowledge of population size, threats to it, or to taxonomic uncertainty of the validity of the taxon, but where indications of a ''major'' threat or decline do not exist either.
:Examples: [[Scottish Crossbill]] (taxonomic uncertainty with respect to [[Parrot Crossbill]]), [[Yunnan Cypress]] (lack of knowledge of wild population size but widespread as ornamental tree). Both taxa would likely be classified as NT or VU if sufficient data were available.
----
* '''Not evaluated''' ('''NE'''): taxa whose conservation status has not been assessed to date. Many species have not been evaluated. This may be due to them being too recently described to be included in the latest IUCN red book. Any extant taxa that cannot be found with the [http://www.iucnredlist.org/ IUCN Red List] can be considered NE within IUCN, and the status field should be left blank, unless they are found within another system (e.g. [http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?init=Species TNC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090728001347/http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?init=Species |date=2009-07-28 }}, [http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/sprat.pl EPBC], ESA, [http://www.unep-wcmc.org/species/dbases/about.cfm UNEP-WCMC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412021057/http://www.unep-wcmc.org/species/dbases/about.cfm |date=2011-04-12 }}).

:Examples: Common species of [[insect]]s often fall into this category.

== Special Wikipedia categories ==
The following additional categories cover species that fall outside the scope of the IUCN Red List.  The IUCN criteria are authoritative and should be used directly if applicable.

* '''Domesticated''': no immediate threat to the survival of the species.{{Dubious |Talk section name |reason=There are rare domesticated animals, and some extinct|date=March 2015}} This category overlaps Least Concern but has been applied to domesticated animals, for which the IUCN criteria are not valid. Examples: [[Cat]], [[Dog]], [[Llama]]. However many species will use the IUCN category for the wild population. E.g. [[Golden Hamster]].

* '''Critical (Possibly Extinct)''' CR (PE), a semi-official category introduced by [[BirdLife International]] and likely to be adopted by other authorities including the IUCN in the near future. The weight of evidence points against the continuing existence of the taxon, but final surveys are still pending. Examples: [[Eskimo Curlew]], [[Turquoise-throated Puffleg]].

* '''Prehistoric''': somewhere between '''Extinct''' and '''Fossil''': the species went extinct before [[1500]]. A major part of the species' remains exist in a [[subfossil]] state. This is of particular use in [[human evolution]], as molecular analysis of the specimens can be compared against that of other modern and prehistoric specimens. Examples: ''[[Mammuthus exilis]]'', [[Cave lion]], the [[Neanderthal]] human, most [[moa]] and [[Hawaiian honeycreeper]] extinctions. Generally speaking, this encompasses pre-Western contact Late [[Quaternary]] extinctions. In other words, it has evolved.

* '''Fossil''': The species is only known from completely [[fossil]]ized material records; there may be a few chance finds of preserved tissue, but organic matter of these species is generally nonexistent and has been replaced by [[mineral]]s. Examples: ''[[Tyrannosaurus rex]]'', ''[[Australopithecus]]'', [[Ammonite]]s.

It should be noted that scientific literature does not usually distinguish between fossil and subfossil specimens. Generally, if molecular analysis or [[radiocarbon dating]] can be routinely carried out on specimens of a taxon, the taxon is classified as "Prehistoric". The [[MOR 1125|recent discoveries]] of what seems to be minute amounts of preserved soft tissue in some [[dinosaur]] specimens, on the other hand, would not alter their "Fossil" status. As a rule of thumb, taxa extinct in the recent 50-30.000 years would possibly qualify as "Prehistoric".

{{Wikipedia:WikiProject_Tree_of_Life/taxobox_status|Taxobox conservation status}}
* {{Lts|Taxobox}}
* [[Template:Taxobox/doc#Conservation status|Taxobox usage]] (status codes)

Please do not use a conservation status that has not been officially given by an authoritative source. Your own judgement may be considered [[WP:NOR|original research]], which is against Wikipedia policy to include.

== External links ==
* [http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/categories-and-criteria IUCN Red List Categories & Criteria (2011)]
* [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html BirdLife International species database] - default reference work for conservation status of Recent avian taxa.