IUCN Green Status of Species

The IUCN Green Status of Species provides a standardised framework to (i) measure species recovery; (ii) recognise conservation achievements; (iii) highlight species which depend on continued conservation actions to maintain their current conservation status; (iv) forecast the expected impact of planned conservation action; and (v) to elevate the level of ambition for species recovery in th3e long-term. GSS is formally part of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and Green Status assessments are published in the species accounts on the Red List website.

Currently the GSS operates only at global level. Guidelines for application at National level are under development.

How to use

To see if an assessment has been conducted, check the species account on the RL website: https://www.iucnredlist.org/
The GSS Standard and Guidelines on use are available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org/resources/green-status-assessment-materials
To initiate or to contribute to a new GSS assessment, contact the Chair of the relevant IUCN SSC Specialist Group or Red List Authority LINK.

Visit page

Publication

2021

Related content

Nature Tourism at Abu Hills (Rajasthan, India): Conservation and Livelihood

In line with the three pillars of sustainability, we developed globally applicable site-specific socio-ecological-economy models. One of our four models is called Abu Model. The idea behind this model was the protection of the Green Avadavat or Green Munia, categorized ‘Vulnerable’ in IUCN Red List.

Taking advantage of the interdependency of tourism and the environment, we focused on the flagship species of Abu Hills, consisting of the Green Munia and several other fauna and flora species. A group of local youth closely associated with nature was identified, including bird trappers and poachers. Their traditional local knowledge was valuable to modern scientific knowledge and empowered them. Thus, the nature related skills of the local youth were linked with the livelihood options. This approach fostered the conservation actions towards the protection of habitats and target species.

Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT) – an innovative partnership enhancing conservation and cooperation

PONT is a transboundary conservation trust fund established in 2015 with funding from MAVA and BMZ/KfW. Their aim was to support the increasing environmental needs of the Prespa-Ohrid region to respond to the lack of sufficient funding for conservation efforts. In 2023, the PONT Focus Region is a Biodiversity Hotspot covering 1.6 million hectares in Albania, Greece and North Macedonia with further room for geographical expansion. The region has exceptional habitat diversity, supporting viable populations of endemic and rare species. Connectivity corridors help consolidate the landscape elements to ensure species movement between areas under protection (PAs). To ensure sustainable conservation and effective management of PAs, cooperation within and across borders is crucial. PONT has secured long-term financing (~€3 million/year drawdown until 2040), which is additionally used to leverage co-financing of activities. Grants support conservation objectives and capacity development. Shared services reduce administrative costs.

Our Blue Future – A Multi-stakeholder Initiative for Inclusive Sustainable Blue Economy (ISBE) in the Western Indian Ocean

Healthy marine and coastal ecosystems are essential for food security, livelihoods, and wealth for the 60 million people living along the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). However, unsustainable use of marine and coastal resources puts ecosystems and economic development at risk.

Our Blue Future (OBF), a multi-stakeholder initiative for advancing inclusive sustainable blue economy (ISBE) in the region, is working with its currently 24 partners across the region and sectors to catalyze innovation and achieve long-term environmental and socio-economic impact.

An ISBE is defined as one in which countries and people can derive a source of value and wealth from diverse, productive, and resilient ecosystems while simultaneously protecting, maintaining, and restoring them to provide social and economic benefits.

OBF is becoming an inclusive, well-resourced, highly effective public–private–civil society transformation network that helps empower communities, governments, and businesses to foster an ISBE.

Beavers in Knapdale: Scottish Beavers Reinforcement Project

The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) has been extinct in mainland Britain since the 16th century. The Scottish Beaver Trial was the first licensed mammal reintroduction project in the UK, establishing a beaver population of Norwegian origin in Scotland’s Knapdale forest. However, the population was small, with low genetic diversity threatening it with extirpation. The Scottish Beavers reinforcement project was designed to mitigate this risk. Following extensive public consultation and genetic sampling, the project released 21 beavers of Bavarian origin with more, different genetic diversity to Knapdale between 2017 and 2020. The reinforcement was a success, with subsequent monitoring finding increased breeding and new lochs occupied. Additionally, genetic sampling has indicated significantly higher genetic diversity in the population compared to before the translocation, improving the population’s resilience. The project has acted as a template for other translocations and informed Scotland’s Beaver Strategy 2022-2045.

SMART: A digital monitoring system for effective management of protected areas

Nech Sar National Park is one of Ethiopia’s oldest protected areas, conserved for its diverse flora, fauna, and unique landscapes. However, unsustainable use of resources poses a significant threat to the park. The absence of standardised protocols and systems for recording illegal human activities and threats hinders the effective use and management of the park. The poor enforcement of planning, decision-making and resource allocation processes further fuels the issue.

To address these challenges, the BMZ-funded and GIZ-implemented Biodiversity and Forestry Programme introduced the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART). SMART is a tool that simplifies and enhances data collection, analysis, and reporting in protected area management. It supports various conservation activities such as protection of biodiversity, law enforcement, natural resources utilisation, and tourism management. With its easy-to-use features, SMART offers powerful options for effective management and protection of natural resources.

Conservation Success and Management Strategies in Saudi Arabia's Ibex Protected Area: A Case Study of the Nubian Ibex Monitoring

The Ibex Protected Area is one of Saudi Arabia’s premier conservation areas of international significance. In terms of its mammal diversity, the protected area has been the focus of a key conservation and reintroduction program of the Vulnerable Nubian Ibex (Capra nubiana). The area also inhabits important populations of the Arabian wolf (Canis lupis) and Arabian gazelle or idmi (Gazella arabica). A ten-year monitoring program was implemented for the Nubian Ibex as an umbrella species indicating the overall health and functionality of the ecosystem encompassed within the protected area. This continuous monitoring enabled the site management to identify the overall trend of the population and assess natural and anthropogenic factors influencing it. The monitoring program is undertaken by a multidisciplinary team including wildlife specialists, law enforcement officers, local community experts and guides, all working in coordination with the Protected Area manager.

Cranes over Cheorwon, cultivating conservation and community: results from the Nature Coexistence between farmers and cranes

The conservation efforts in Cheorwon, Gangwon-do, are a collaborative initiative by local farmers and various organizations, including the National Nature Trust, Cheorwon Crane Protection Association, and others, to preserve endangered crane habitats. These efforts have led to a notable increase in crane populations, thanks to sustainable agricultural practices, ecotourism, and community-driven conservation activities. The National Nature Trust plays a pivotal role, supported by legal frameworks and financial mechanisms, in managing conservation assets like ‘the Cheorwon Crane Land.’ This multifaceted approach integrates ecological preservation with local economic development, showcasing a successful model of conservation that promotes the coexistence of human and wildlife interests.

Apiculture to engage communities in fighting bush fires, provide income and protect biodiversity – Kilum-Ijin Forest, Cameroon

The project provides an innovative model for biodiversity preservation based on community action to increase the production of Oku White Honey, conserve the forest, and develop markets for finished products benefiting the local populations living in and around high biodiversity areas. We promote biodiversity conservation by regenerating degraded forest biodiversity with native bee-loving and economic trees, which will help increase the quantity of honey produced. The project also strengthens the Oku White Honey value chain by improving the quality of the finished products and developing robust markets. This program helps organize bee farmers, leads to job creation, and increases the revenue of the local population. The development of this green value chain reduces pressure on natural resources, encourages communities to support conservation efforts, builds capacity among community leaders, including women, and improves the livelihoods of the population.

International Alliance against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade

With increasing global human activity encroaching on wildlife habitats, growing demand for wildlife consumption & expanding global trade, the risk of pathogen spillover from wildlife to humans is escalating. There is not a simple answer on how to prevent this & not a single person who could do it alone. The only chance we have is to work together towards this as a common goal with a holistic, cross-cutting & synergistic approach.

The International Alliance therefore offers a solution by serving as an inclusive & interdisciplinary platform for stakeholders. It is a collaborative space to join forces to better understand & reduce the threat of pathogen spillover from wildlife trade & consumption, providing & communicating evidence, and supporting interventions. Thereby we reduce the risk, while improving health, equity & well-being for all species through a One Health approach.

Conservation actions in the national ITPGRFA Reports

These are the country reports on implementation of the International Treaty received from Contracting Parties pursuant to Section V.1 of the “Procedures and operational mechanisms to promote compliance and address issues of non-compliance” (Resolution 9/2013), for which an updated Standard Reporting Format was adopted by the Governing Body in 2019 (Resolution 7/2019).

The Compliance Committee prepares a comprehensive synthesis and succinct analysis report for each session of the Governing Body. Please see the latest version here.

Some of the information received from Contracting Parties through their national reports is reused under several indicators in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reporting process. See, for example, SDG Indicator 15.6.1.

The deadline for the submission of national reports under the Second Reporting Cycle was extended by the Governing Body until 1 October 2024.

IWC Extinctions Initiative

According to the IUCN Red List a species or subspecies is considered Extinct (EX) when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. A species or subspecies is presumed Extinct when exhaustive surveys in known and expected habitat have failed to record a single individual.

Distinct populations can also become locally extinct. A single species is often made up of several separate populations and one population may be eradicated whilst others continue to live. For example, the North Pacific gray whale population in the eastern North Pacific is considered healthy, but the western population is critically endangered.

Extinction is a natural phenomenon, but current rates of extinction are much higher than historic ‘background rates.’ The lifespan of a species varies depending on a number of factors such as body size and geographic range. Many cetacean species are assessed to have survived between 5 and 30 million years. Today’s increased rates of extinction are due to human activities and associated habitat disruption and climate change.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, assesses the conservation status of most plant and animal species, some subspecies, and some subpopulations. They use a rigorous approach to assess all available data for each species against defined criteria, and classify each into one of the IUCN Red List status categories

ThreatSearch

ThreatSearch is a global database of all known conservation assessments of plants. It contains global, regional and national conservation assessments for plants from a variety of sources. The aim is for ThreatSearch to be a one-stop shop to find any conservation assessment for plants.

Together with our two main collaborators – the National Red List and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – we have assembled currently available conservation assessments into a single list of conservation assessments for plants. Additional significant contributors include NatureServe and CNCFlora. We are continuing to add new conservation assessments, as well as adding older non-digital sources.

ThreatSearch can be used to measure progress toward several targets of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. First and foremost, by listing all conservation assessments for plants it helps to track progress towards Target 2 (An assessment of the conservation status of all known plant species, as far as possible, to guide conservation action). ThreatSearch will further help to measure Target 7 (At least 75 per cent of known threatened plant species conserved in situ) and Target 8 (At least 75 per cent of threatened plant species in ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and at least 20 per cent available for recovery and restoration programmes). ThreatSearch also aims to be directly relevant to conservationists, educators, horticulturists, researchers, policy makers and many others who are working to save and understand plant diversity.