The IUCN Red List update to version 2024-2, published on October 28, 2024, includes new assessments and status changes for many animals, trees, and plants. More than 1,000 species were newly assessed or reclassified on the Red List.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature serves as a global tool to assess the extinction risk of species and identify trends in biodiversity. The IUCN Red List assigns species to nine categories from “Not Evaluated” to “Extinct”, with threat categories such as “Vulnerable”, “Endangered”, and “Critically Endangered” being particularly critical. The Red List provides the basis for conservation action by supplying data on population, distribution, habitat loss, and other threats. Here is a small selection of some animal species whose status has deteriorated significantly:
The giant clam is an important component of coral reef ecosystems. It can reach a length of 1.40 meters and a weight of 400 kilograms. In the IUCN Red List, it is now listed as “Endangered”. Threats include overfishing and climate change—especially ocean warming, which leads to coral bleaching and the loss of the algae that feed the clams.
(© Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
The IUCN Red List now classifies the banteng, or Sunda ox, from Southeast Asia as “Critically Endangered”. Ongoing habitat loss due to agriculture and poaching—especially for the meat trade—pose major threats to this wild cattle species. Commonly used hunting methods such as firearms and dogs also severely endanger banteng populations.
(© Buyung Sukananda, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
The new status of the European hedgehog, which is native to our region, is “Near Threatened”. Population declines of up to 50 percent in certain regions have been reported in Germany and Belgium. Habitat loss driven by agricultural intensification, road construction, and urbanization is contributing to its disappearance.
(© George Chernilevsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
With the IUCN Red List update, Edwards’s pheasant, native to Vietnam, is listed as “Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the Wild)”, as it has not been documented in the wild since 2000. The causes of its disappearance include deforestation, poaching, and environmental toxins.
(© Václav Šilha, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
The freshwater fish species Scardinius racovitzai, endemic to Romania, is listed by the IUCN as “Extinct in the Wild”. Decades of groundwater extraction for tourism led to the drying up of Lake Peța. Aggravating factors included invasive species, temperature changes, and pollution, which impaired reproduction and degraded the habitat.
(© Wilhelm, Sandor, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
The status of the Gran Canaria giant lizard has changed from “Least Concern” to “Endangered”. It is threatened by invasive predators, especially cats and rats, as well as the California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae), which arrived on the island in 1998 and has severely reduced lizard populations in over 60% of the affected areas. Without conservation measures, extinction in the impacted areas is expected.
(©Feibs, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Once widespread in India and Southeast Asia, the white-winged duck has been listed as “Endangered” since the IUCN Red List update. It is severely threatened by habitat loss in riverine and forest areas, intensive hunting, and the collecting of eggs and chicks. In particular, the loss of large nesting trees and the destruction of forests due to oil palm plantations, mineral extraction, and unregulated tourism in Northeast India are worsening the situation.
(© DickDaniels (http://theworldbirds.org/), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
“Possibly extinct” animal species on the IUCN Red List
The Ammersee kilch (Coregonus bavaricus), endemic to Lake Ammersee in Bavaria, is listed as “Critically Endangered (possibly extinct)” in the IUCN Red List update. Only three specimens of this fish species were caught between 1951 and 2003. Reasons for the sharp decline include the overfishing of smaller individuals, the straightening of the Ammer River, and severe eutrophication of the lake.
Another freshwater fish species that the IUCN now classifies as “possibly extinct” is Pelasgus epiroticus or Tsima. The species occurs only in Lake Pamvotida in Greece. Pelasgus epiroticus is threatened by deteriorating water quality due to eutrophication, the deposition of untreated wastewater, and the construction of dams. In addition, invasive species such as the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) further endanger native fish stocks through competition for food and predation pressure.
Meyer’s tree snail (Partula meyeri), only discovered and described in French Polynesia in 2006, is now “possibly extinct”. It is threatened above all by the rosy wolf snail (Euglandina rosea), which has wiped out almost all native snail species on the island of Raiatea since 1986. The invasive New Guinea flatworm (Platydemus manokwari) is also spreading on the island, although it is unclear whether it has already reached the range of Meyer’s tree snail. Among other things, the rosy wolf snail also contributed to the extinction of the tree snail Achatinella apexfulva in Hawaii in 2019.
In addition to the possibly extinct species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature also officially classified 19 animal species as globally extinct in 2024.
Worldwide, 38% of tree species are threatened with extinction
The new IUCN Red List shows that one in three tree species on Earth is threatened with extinction. As part of the first Global Tree Assessments, a total of 166,061 species were assessed, of which 46,337 are now classified as threatened—more than twice the number of all threatened bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species combined. Trees play an important role in ecosystems by storing carbon, supporting water and nutrient cycles, and stabilizing soils. Many people also depend on trees for their livelihoods and for resources such as timber, medicine, and food.
Tree species on islands such as Cuba, Madagascar, or Fiji are particularly threatened because they are under pressure from deforestation, invasive species, pests, and diseases. Climate change adds further threats, especially in the tropics through sea-level rise and more intense storms. In South America, the region with the greatest tree-species diversity worldwide, 3,356 of 13,668 studied species are threatened, with forest clearance for agriculture and livestock farming being the biggest threats.
To protect threatened tree species, habitat management, forest restoration, and collecting seeds in botanical gardens and collections are crucial. In countries like Colombia, the findings of the IUCN Red List are used to plan national conservation measures and to designate biodiversity hotspots. Worldwide, more than 1,000 experts are working together to protect tree species and tackle the nature crisis.
About the author: Doreen Fräßdorf
Doreen Fräßdorf is the author and publisher of artensterben.de. She researches and writes about extinct and endangered species in the modern era, with a focus on red lists, scientific studies, historical sources, and current conservation efforts. The goal is a clear, evidence-based overview of biodiversity loss and species protection.
She is also the author of a non-fiction book about extinct modern-era mammals.
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