Title: Endangered species classification
1Endangered species classification
2References but not assigned
- Mace, G.M. and R. Lande. 1991. Assessing
extinction threats towards a reevaluation of
IUCN threatened species categories. Conservation
Biology 5 148-157
3Purpose of endangered species listing
- To highlight species at risk
- hopefully leading to .
- cause action to be taken, where possible, to
reduce risk of extinction
4Types of listing
- U.S. Endangered Species Act
- IUCN Red Book
- CITES Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species
5What causes extinction
- Gradual decline in abundance due to negative
rates of increase - Loss of habitat
- Introduction of exotic pests
- Harvesting
- Pollution affecting reproduction and survival
- Climate change
- Catastrophic events
- The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs
- El Nino events, bad climates
6What makes species vulnerable to extinction
- Low (especially negative) rates of increase
- Small population sizes
- Few breeding sites
- Large fluctuations in abundance
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91994 IUCN Red List Categories
- EXTINCT (EX) A taxon is Extinct when there is no
reasonable doubt that the last individual has
died.
10EXTINCT IN THE WILD (EW)
- A taxon is Extinct in the wild when it is known
only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or
as a naturalised population (or populations) well
outside the past range. A taxon is presumed
extinct in the wild when exhaustive surveys in
known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate
times (diurnal, seasonal, annual), throughout its
historic range have failed to record an
individual. Surveys should be over a time frame
appropriate to the taxon's life cycle and life
form.
11CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (CR)
- A taxon is Critically Endangered when it is
facing an extremely high risk of extinction in
the wild in the immediate future, as defined by
any of the criteria A to E.
12ENDANGERED (EN)
- A taxon is Endangered when it is not Critically
Endangered but is facing a very high risk of
extinction in the wild in the near future, as
defined by any of the criteria A to E.
13VULNERABLE (VU)
- A taxon is Vulnerable when it is not Critically
Endangered or Endangered but is facing a high
risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term
future, as defined by any of the criteria A to E.
14LOWER RISK (LR)
- A taxon is Lower Risk when it has been evaluated,
but does not satisfy the criteria for any of the
categories Critically Endangered, Endangered or
Vulnerable. Taxa included in the Lower Risk
category can be separated into three
subcategories - 1. Conservation Dependent (cd). Taxa which are
the focus of a continuing taxon-specific or
habitat-specific conservation programme targeted
towards the taxon in question, the cessation of
which would result in the taxon qualifying for
one of the threatened categories above within a
period of five years. - 2. Near Threatened (nt). Taxa which do not
qualify for Conservation Dependent, but which are
close to qualifying for Vulnerable. - 3. Least Concern (lc). Taxa which do not qualify
for Conservation Dependent or Near Threatened.
15DATA DEFICIENT (DD)
- A taxon is Data Deficient when there is
inadequate information to make a direct, or
indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction
based on its distribution and/or population
status. A taxon in this category may be well
studied, and its biology well known, but
appropriate data on abundance and/or distribution
are lacking. Data Deficient is therefore not a
category of threat or Lower Risk. Listing of taxa
in this category indicates that more information
is required and acknowledges the possibility that
future research will show that threatened
classification is appropriate. It is important to
make positive use of whatever data are available.
In many cases great care should be exercised in
choosing between DD and threatened status. If the
range of a taxon is suspected to be relatively
circumscribed, if a considerable period of time
has elapsed since the last record of the taxon,
threatened status may well be justified.
16NOT EVALUATED (NE)
- A taxon is Not Evaluated when it is has not yet
been assessed against the criteria.
17The Criteria
- A. Reduction in population size
- B. Restricted geographic range
- C. Small population size and declining
- D. Very small population size
- E. Quantitative assessment of risk of extinction
18Numerical values
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20Special issues for marine species
- A fisheries management plan can cause a 50
decline, should this cause a listing - Marine distributions are very different from
terrestrial - Marine abundance is very high relative to the
species that IUCN rules were built around
21What is a species
To be considered an ESU under the ESA, a
population (or group of populations) must be
reproductively isolated from conspecific
populations, and must contribute substantially to
the ecological/genetic diversity of the species
(Waples 1991).
22What happens when listed
- Relevant agency (NMFS, USFWS) must develop and
implement a recovery plan - All taking is prohibited. The term "take"
includes "to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot,
wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect. - Some taking is permitted in the form in
incidental catch
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24Case studies
25Chinook Salmon ESUs
26Take of endangered salmon
27Stellers sea lion
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30Gulf of Alaska Small set of structuring
variables operating at different speeds - Whammo!
31Key recovery actions
- Prohibition on shooting
- Reduction of incidental take
- Subsistence take
- Disturbance
- Fisheries closures near rookeries
- Intense monitoring and research
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33Relevant Legislation
- Nationally The ESA the Endangered Species Act
1973 - Internationally CITES Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora. 1975 administered by UN
Environment Program - 25,000 plants
- 5,000 animals listed
34Summary
- ESA is powerful legislation has teeth and
causes change thus not popular with those
affected