Why in the News?

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has issued an update on the threats faced by various reptile and cactus species due to invasive species and illegal trade.

Species highlighted by the IUCN

Species	Status Change	Reason for Decline	Location	Threats
Ibiza Wall Lizard	Near Threatened → Endangered	50% population decline since 2010 due to invasive snake	Ibiza, Spain	Invasive horseshoe whip snake (Haemorrhoids Hippocrepis)
Gran Canaria Giant Lizard	Least Concern → Endangered	>50% decline since 2014 due to the introduction of California Kingsnake	Gran Canaria, Spain	California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis California)
Gran Canaria Skink	Least Concern → Endangered	>50% decline since 2014 due to the introduction of California Kingsnake	Gran Canaria, Spain	California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis California)
Copiapoa Cacti	Critically Endangered	82% critically endangered, up from 55% in 2013	Atacama Desert, Chile	Illegal trade for ornamental purposes, climate change impacts

Back2Basics: IUCN Overview Table

	Details
Founded	1948
Headquarters	Gland, Switzerland
Mission	To conserve nature and ensure the sustainable and equitable use of natural resources.
Focus Areas	Initially conservation ecology Now includes sustainable development issues
Influence	Influences governments, businesses, and stakeholders Known for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
IUCN Red List	Estimates the probability of species’ extinction for animals, fungi, and plants globally Public and universally accessible Provides specific data on species’ attributes, dangers, and protection efforts Assists in conservation decisions and policy-making
Categories of Extinction Risk	Nine categories from NE (Not Evaluated) to EX (Extinct) Threatened categories: Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), and Vulnerable (VU)
Global Targets Indicator	Serves as a headline indicator for SDGs and Aichi Targets
IUCN Green Status of Species	Assesses the effectiveness of recovery and conservation processes for species’ populations Categories: EW (Extinct in the Wild), CR (Critically Endangered), LR/cd (Least Concern/Conservation Dependent), MOD (Moderately Depleted), SL (Stable), FR (Fluctuating Range), ND (Not Determined), ID (Insufficient Data)

PYQ:

[2023] Invasive Species Specialist Group’ (that develops Global Invasive Species Database) belongs to which one of the following organizations?

(a) The International Union for Conservation of Nature
(b) The United Nations Environment Programme
(c) The United Nations World Commission for Environment and Development
(d) The World Wide Fund for Nature

[2015] With reference to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which of the following statements is/are correct?

IUCN is an organ of the United Nations and CITES is an international agreement between governments
IUCN runs thousands of field projects around the world to better manage natural environments.
CITES is legally binding on the States that have joined it, but this Convention does not take the place of national laws.

Select the correct using the code given below.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

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Wildlife Conservation Efforts

Threats to Island Reptiles and Cacti Highlighted by IUCN

Why in the News?

Species highlighted by the IUCN

Back2Basics: IUCN Overview Table

PYQ:

Why in the News?

Species highlighted by the IUCN

Back2Basics: IUCN Overview Table

PYQ:

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