What's New Archive
Along with pages being regularly updated to reflect the new data available in each Red List update, new pages, tools and functionality are added to The IUCN Red List website at any time throughout the year.
The most recent updates and additions to the website are listed in the current What's New page. All updates and additions since the start of 2020 are listed below.
New functionality |
|
|---|---|
| Interactive Statistics tables | Red List Indices search |
| CR(PE) and CR(PEW) searches | Country Legends search |
| Needs Updating search | Endemics search |
New and updated pages |
|
| IUCN Green Status of Species | Spatial Data Download |
| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) | Supporting Information |
| Red List Index (RLI) | Summary Statistics |
New and updated tools and files |
|
| Green Status of Species Guidelines and tools | Species Richness and Range Map Rarity data |
| Extinction Risk Assessment Tools | Range Map Image Files |
Non-English language translations |
|
| Pages available in Spanish | Red List Guidelines |
| Extinction Risk Assessment Tools | |
Interactive Statistics Tables
In 2020, the Red List website introduced automated and interactive tables for some of the summary statistics that previously were only available as PDF documents, starting with the tables for summaries by taxonomic group (tables 3 and 4) and summaries by country (tables 5 and 6). These tables are still available to download as PDF documents, but now they are also available as CSV files. The figures in the tables also include links to the search results page, showing lists of the species these figures refer to. The tables are available in full, or you can decide to view just one section of the table (e.g., fungi only, or species in South America only).
Red List Indices search
In 2020, the Red List Indices (RLIs) became available on The IUCN Red List website in the Advanced Search. To search for a Red List Index, select the "Red List Indices" option.
The RLIs are arranged in different subsets: global, regional and subregional, thematic, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Within each subset, the RLIs are disaggregated to show trends within specific groups (e.g., freshwater species only, species in Brazil, African species, etc.).
For more information about the Red List Indices, see the Red List Index page.
CR(PE) and CR(PEW) searches
In 2020, new functionality was introduced to the Advanced Search to allow users to filter the data to show only Critically Endangered taxa that are flagged as Possibly Extinct [CR(PE)] or Possibly Extinct in the Wild [CR(PEW)]. To see these taxa, scroll down the Advanced Search page to the ‘INCLUDE’ section, then use the checkboxes next to ‘CR – Possibly Extinct’ and ‘CR – Possibly Extinct in the Wild’. To see the list of species only, make sure the Species checkbox in the 'INCLUDE' section is ticked; to see the list of subspecies and varieties only, make sure the Subspecies and varieties checkbox is ticked.
Country Legends search
In 2020, a Country Legends search filter was added to the Advanced Search. This allows the data to be filtered based on country codes for presence (extant, possibly extant, possibly extinct, extinct post-1500, presence uncertain) and origin (native, reintroduced, introduced, vagrant, origin uncertain, assisted colonisation). The Country Legends filter appears beneath the Land Regions filter in the Advanced Search.
By combining selections in the Land Regions and the Country Legends search filters, search results can be tailored to, for example, find a list of species occurring in a particular country, excluding introduced and vagrant species and species with uncertain occurrence in that country.
Needs Updating search
IUCN recommends that all Red List assessments be updated at least once every 10 years (ideally every 4-5 years). However, with limited funding and capacity for red listing, this is not always possible. The IUCN Red List therefore includes some assessments that are now more than 10 years old and need to be updated. These are retained on the Red List because they are the most recent extinction risk assessments available for these taxa. In 2020, a filter was added to the Advanced Search to allow users to easily see all assessments that need to be updated.
Endemics search
In 2020, a search filter was added to allow users to find lists of country endemics (i.e., taxa that are recorded as being native to one country only). First, use the Land Regions filter in the Advanced Search page to find the list of taxa occurring in a specific country. The example below shows a search for all species occurring in Cambodia.
Next, scroll down the page to the INCLUDE checkboxes and tick Endemic. In the example, the list of species reduces to 30 endemic species in Cambodia.
Note: the endemics filter does not work for regional searches. For example, using the endemics filter on the search results for all species occurring in Europe will not result in a list of all species endemic to Europe, as many of the European endemic species will occur in more than one country within Europe.
IUCN Green Status of Species
The Green Status of Species assesses the recovery of species’ populations and measures conservation success. In 2020, new pages were added to the website providing more information about the Green Status of Species: IUCN Green Status of Species and Measuring Recovery with the IUCN Green Status of Species. The Green Status of Species Guidelines and Assessment Materials page was also added to the Resources section, allowing users to download guidelines and tools.
Frequently Asked Questions page
The IUCN Red List Unit receives thousands of emails each year, often from people asking about how Red List data can be used, the assessment process, how to use the website, and how people can help species. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page was added to the website in 2020 to provide answers to many of these questions.
Supporting Information page
The IUCN Red List is more than just a list of species names and Red List Categories. It is a compendium of information detailing the current extinction risk for the animal, fungus and plant species that have been assessed to date. In 2020, the Supporting Information page was added to provide a comprehensive overview of all the information that is included in the online Red List assessment Fact Sheets.
Red List Index page
In addition to the Red List Indices being added to the website, the Red List Index (RLI) page was also updated in 2020 to provide more information about what the RLI tells us about the state of biodiversity, how RLIs are used, links to more RLI publications, and guidance on calculating RLIs.
Summary Statistics page
In 2020, links were added to the Summary Statistics page to direct users to the automated statistics page for summaries by taxonomic group (tables 3 and 4) and summaries by country (tables 5 and 6).
Spatial Data Download page
Prior to 2020, the Spatial Data Download page only allowed polygon spatial data downloads. In 2020, bulk downloads of point data were added to this page, where these data are available (mostly for plant groups, but also for some invertebrate groups).
Red List Guidelines
Version 14 of the Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria was released in English in August 2019. In 2021, this document also became available in both French and Spanish, bringing all three language versions up to date.
Extinction Risk Assessment tools
The most recent update of the Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (version 14) included reference to two models (a Threats model and a Records and Surveys model) that help Assessors determine the probability of a species now being Extinct or Extinct in the Wild. In 2020, the Extinction Risk Assessment tools page was added to give users access to both of these extinction probability models. In 2021, these tools were also made available in French and Spanish.
Range Map Image files
All assessment Fact Sheets on the Red List website include a Download tool, where a range of files are available (e.g., the PDF version of the assessment, any supplementary information, spatial data, etc.). In 2020, it was made possible for users to use thus tool to download a JPG image file of the range map.
Click on the link to open the image file. To save the image file, right-click on the image and select "Save Image As...".
Species Richness and Range Rarity data
In 2020, rasters and image files for species richness and range-size rarity were made available to download from the Species Richness and Range Rarity Data page in the Resources and Publications section. These are based on the raw IUCN ranges (version 2017-3) for amphibians, birds and mammals.
Pages available in Spanish
The IUCN Red List website has the option to change the language setting from English to French, Spanish or Japanese (see the top right corner of the website). We do not yet have complete translations for all pages on the website, but we are gradually adding translated versions as they become available.
In 2020, the following pages were made available in Spanish:
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The IUCN Red List home page.
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Background and History [Antecedentes e Historia].
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Barometer of Life [Barómetro de Vida].
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How the Red List is Used [Cómo se usa la Lista Roja].