ENDANGERED

Taxa which have suffered a population decline over all or most of their range, whether the causes of this decline are known or not, and which are in danger of extinction in the near future. (Special management measures required if the taxa are to continue to survive).

VULNERABLE

Taxa not presently endangered but which are at risk by having small populations and/or populations which are declining at a rate that would render them endangered in the near future. (Special management measures required to prevent the taxa becoming endangered or extinct.)

POTENTIALLY THREATENED

Taxa which could become vulnerable or endangered in the near future because they have a relatively large population in a restricted area; or they have small populations in a few areas; or they have been heavily depleted and are continuing to decline; or they are dependant on specific habitat for survival. (Require monitoring.)

INDETERMINATE

Taxa which are likely to fall into the Endangered, Vulnerable or Potentially Threatened category but for which insufficient data are available to make an assessment. (Require investigation.)

RESTRICTED

Taxa which are not presently in danger but which occur in restricted areas, or which have suffered a long term reduction in distribution and/or abundance and are now uncommon.

UNCERTAIN STATUS

Taxa whose taxonomy, distribution and/or abundance are uncertain but which are suspected of being Restricted.

EXTINCT

A taxon is Extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died

EXTINCT IN THE WILD

A taxon is Extinct In The Wild when it is known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalised population (or populations) well outside the past range.

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

A taxon is Critically Endangered when it is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future.

ENDANGERED

A taxon is Endangered when it is not Critically Endangered but is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.

VULNERABLE

A taxon is Vulnerable when it is not Critically Endangered or Endangered but is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future.

LOWER RISK

A taxon is Lower Risk when it has been evaluated. does not satisfy the criteria for any of the categories Critically Endangered; Endangered; or Vulnerable. There are three sub-categories:

1) Conservation Dependent Taxa which are the focus of a continuing taxon-specific or habitat-specific conservation programme targeted towards the taxon in question, the cessation of which would result in the taxon qualifying for one of the threatened categories above within a period of five years.

2) Near Threatened Taxa which do not qualify for Conservation Dependent, but which are close to qualifying for Vulnerable.

3) Least Concern Taxa which do not qualify for Conservation Dependent or Near Threatened.

DATA DEFICIENT

A taxon is Data Deficient when there is inadequate information to make a direct or indirect assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution and / or population status.

NOT EVALUATED

A taxon is Not Evaluated when it has not yet been assessed against the criteria.