Question

What is Red Data Book?

‘Red data book’- What do you know about it?

Answer 1

Red Data Book or Red List is a catalogue of taxa facing the risk of extinction. IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources), now renamed WCU (World Conservation Union, Morges, Switzerland), maintains the Red Data Book. The concept of the Red List was mooted in 1963.

The purpose of the preparation of the Red List is:

1. To create awareness of the degree of threat to biodiversity.
2. Identification and documentation of species at high risk of extinction.
3. Provide a global index on declining biodiversity.
4. Preparing conservation priorities and helping with the conservation of action
5. Information on international agreements on the conservation of biological diversity: the Red List has eight categories of species.
   • Extinct
   • Extinct in the wild
   • Critically Endangered
   • Endangered
   • Vulnerable
   • Lower risk
   • Data deficiency
   • Not evaluated