Setting conservation priorities

• There are more species with declining populations that can be conserved with the level of support that is currently available. Some species/habitats/communities are perceived to be more important than others, so they may be prioritised.
• The roles of the IUCN are: coordinating global data on biodiversity conservation, increasing understanding of the importance of biodiversity, deploying nature-based solutions to global challenges in climate, food and sustainable development.
• Extinct


  No known individuals remain
• Extinct in the wild


  Only survive in captivity
• Critically endangered


  Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
• Endangered


  High risk of extinction in the wild
• Vulnerable


  High risk of becoming endangered
• Near threatened


  Likely to become endangered in the near future
• Least concern


  At lowest risk of becoming endangered
• Data-deficient


  Insufficient information for the species to be categorised
• Species in habitats under particular threats may be selected for categorisation. This is because their status may indicate the status of the rest of the community of species.
• EDGE species may be selected for categorisation. EDGE species are ‘Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered’. These species have few close relatives and are often the only surviving member of their genus and can be the last surviving genus of their evolutionary family.
• Endemic species may be selected for categorisation. An endemic species is not found in any other area, so if there is a change in the threats to its survival and it dies out locally, there will be no surviving populations elsewhere.
• Keystone species may be selected for categorisation. A keystone species has an important role in maintaining the ecological structure of a community. Its importance is usually great compared with their low abundance or population biomass. Possible roles include the predation of potentially dominant species, provision of food, seed dispersal or the creation of structural features of the habitat.
• Flagship species may be selected for categorisation. Flagship species are species that have a high public profile. Raising support to protect flagship species may have a wide benefit for wildlife conservation in general. This may include species in the same habitat that are less likely to attract support themselves.
• Degree of population dispersal may be used to select species for categorisation. When the global population of a species is fragmented into a number of isolated populations it’s important to ensure that viable local populations are maintained. The fragmentation of habitats may not reduce the total habitat area by much but it may produce populations that will each die out because they lack sufficient resources, or have small gene pools and will suffer from inbreeding.