Red List Training

IUCN receives frequent requests from around the world for formal training in the use of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. In response to this growing interest, IUCN is launching a new Red List training initiative, and will be developing new and revitalised training materials to facilitate understanding and application of the IUCN Red List methodology. This significant initiative will take time to develop; in the meantime, a range of training materials are currently available. We will be posting information about our new training materials as they become available, so please check our website to be kept informed of future Red List training developments. 

Red List Documents

Training Presentations

Case Studies

Translations

Species Information Service (SIS)

 

 

Red List Documents

A series of documents are available to use when conducting Red List assessments. More information on how to carry out a Red List assessment can be found here.

Training Presentations

These presentations are those used most frequently in IUCN Red List training workshops. Many of these training presentations are being revised and renovated; additional information and guidance notes will be added in time, and new presentations will become available.

Case Studies

Case studies that demonstrate how the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1 should be applied are available specifically for some plant and aquatic species. These case studies present the kind of information that might be available when carrying out a Red List assessment, and are a very useful way of practicing using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria to conduct Red List assessments. The first two aquatic examples have been completed, to give an idea of how the information presented in the case study is used to evaluate the species against each of the five Red List criteria. We recommend going through the case studies and writing your answers in the blank spaces provided. Then, check your answers against those given in the answer documents. Note that interesting discussions often arise when working through the case studies. Don't get discouraged if your answer differs from the printed answer; some of these are very tricky, but they are an excellent tool to get users to think about the various concepts that go into a Red List assessment.

These materials were prepared in 2007; some of the information in the case studies may be out of date and not all of the information available is presented. Current case studies covering a wider taxonomic range will be available soon. These case studies should be used for training purposes only and not as scientific reference source material.

Translations

The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria and the regional guidelines documents are available in IUCN's three official languages: English, French and Spanish. Full or partial translations into other languages have also been carried out by various sources (e.g., IUCN Regional Offices, organisations involved in national Red List projects, etc.), however the accuracy of the translation may not always have been checked through official IUCN channels. Therefore the definitions of the various terms used may differ from the intention of the official IUCN definition.

Species Information Service (SIS)

The IUCN Species Information Service (SIS) is IUCN's web application for conducting and managing species assessments for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. It is intended for use by IUCN SSC Specialist Group members and other IUCN partners working on global Red List assessments, as well as regional assessment initiatives led by IUCN. As such, access to SIS is strictly controlled. These materials should be helpful to Red List assessors who have been given access to SIS and need to learn how to navigate the system.

IUCN gratefully acknowledges the MAVA Foundation and the IUCN – Shell Partnership for their generous support of IUCN Red List training work.