Red lists in Great Britain

Red lists are a globally recognised way of identifying the threat of extinction to species, using the internationally accepted Red List guidelines developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (IUCN 2012a, 2012b, IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee 2019).  Red list assessments are objective and based on scientific information and ongoing research.  This information can help make decisions about conserving biodiversity at local to global levels, but are not a list of conservation priorities per se.

There are two types of red list: global lists and regional/national lists. The procedure for assessing species at a global scale is described by IUCN 2012a and at a regional scale by IUCN 2012b. Both are underlain by more detailed guidelines (IUCN 2019).

 

Great British Red Lists

Great British red lists have been completed for several species groups and are listed in the JNCC spreadsheet of species conservation designations. The lists are also available separately from the CNCB websites, such as Natural England, or the websites of specialist societies or NGOs.

In Great Britain, red listing is overseen by an inter-agency working group co-ordinated by JNCC with members from Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and Scottish Natural Heritage.