IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
| Mrosovsky, N. | |
| Predicting extinction: fundamental flaws in IUCN's Red List system, exemplyfied by the case of sea turtles | |
| 2003 Full Book | |
A previous Director General of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources - World Conservation Union) has called The Red Lists, formerly the Red Data Books, "IUCN's most famous product" (Holdgate 1999). The categories of threat (Vulnerable, Endangered, etc.)should provide "an assessment of the likelihood that a given species will go extinct within a given period of time (Mace and Lande 1991)." "The classification of categories of threatened species which SSC [Species Survival Commission of the IUCN] has developed is used universally" (Holdgate 1999). Is the Red List system of categories as authoritative and successful as these insiders would seem to imply? The present article argues that the IUCN system and its application are flawed in multiple ways (inadequate recognition of differences among species, inconsistency in application, insufficient scientific documentation, lack of transparency), and that it should be thoroughly overhauled or replaced by a new system, perhaps operated by a different organization. A system should not be judged by the easy cases. Species such as the Mediterranean monk seal, the Yangtze river dolphin, the California Condor, Spix's macaw and the Chinese alligator have only in the hundreds or fewer adults remaining in the wild. Inbreeding or some untoward event could easily push them to extinction. There is no disagreement about the predicament of such species; almost any system would place them in the highest category of threat. Assessment of the Red Lists should depend more on how they deal with problematic cases, species about which little is known, or those that are abundant in one place but not in another, such as is the case with some of the sea turtles. Before turning to those, it may be useful to provide some background about the Red Lists. |
|
 |
PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here |
(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union) |