Conservation Status
AMPHIBIAWEB

 

(Translations may not be accurate.)

Conservation status

How imperiled is each species?

Conservation organizations have developed systems of ranking how imperiled species are based on varying criteria. We track some of these systems of conservation status and priority on each species page, especially the categories of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Here are the different categories and levels of conservation status from several international and national organizations.

Table of Contents
  • IUCN status
  • CITES status
  • National status
  • Regional Status

  • IUCN status

    The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) system for evaluating the status of a species is used broadly. Below, you can see the categories they use. We ask each author to search the IUCN Web site. Read the full criteria for the categories in the Red List version 3.1 (PDF). If you would like more information please visit the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

    Read more on the specific definitions for each of the categories on IUCN's page on technical documents.

    IUCN Conservation Status definitions
    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. Data Deficient (DD)
    Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category. Least Concern (LC)
    A taxon is Near Threatened when it has been evaluated against the criteria but does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable now, but is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future. Near Threatened (NT)
    A taxon listed Vulnerable is considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild ( based on the criteria A to E in Section V) Vulnerable (VU)
    A taxon listed Endangered is considered to be facing an very high risk of extinction in the wild ( based on the criteria A to E in Section V) Endangered (EN)
    A taxon listed as Critically Endangered is considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild ( based on the criteria A to E in Section V). Critically Endangered (CR)
    A taxon is Extinct in the Wild when it is known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalized population (or populations) well outside the past range. Extinct in Wild (EW)
    A taxon is Extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. A taxon is presumed Extinct 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. Extinct (EX)
    IUCN categories
    Figure from IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria version 3.1

    CITES status

    The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora protects species in the international trade. This document prevents the trade of endangered flora and fauna and lists several amphibians. We ask our species account authors to search their Web site. For more information and to search the CITES fauna list, go to CITES Web site.

  • CITES list of protected species

  • National status

    Many governments have given amphibian species special conservation status. For example, in the United States, you can check the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the current listing:

  • Query by state and by species
  • Endangered species page list

  • Regional status

    Some amphibians have regional protection. We ask our authors to gather as much local information as possible, and this includes any local or regional protection amphibians might have.

    For example, to obtain regional status in California, authors consult the California Department of Fish and Wildlife 's Species of Special of Concern (PDF).


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