IUCN Threat Research Articles

A Checklist of Avifauna in Mukuruthi National Park, The Nilgiris, Southern Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India

The present study was carried out from January to June of each year 2022 to 2023 checklist of avifauna in Mukuruthi National Park in the Nilgiris. We have documented 75 bird species across 13 orders and 34 families. Passerine birds(n=45) were more diverse than non-passerine birds (n=30). In the study, several bird species are categorized under various IUCN threat categories only one species is near threatened (Zoothera neilgherriensis) while each of the three species is considered endangered, and vulnerable, and the remaining 68 species are classified as least concern. The present study anticipates that montane grassland and shola forest habitats will serve as critical areas for flora and fauna species, supporting future studies on various aspects of avian ecology.

The state of the bats in North America.

The world's rich diversity of bats supports healthy ecosystems and important ecosystem services. Maintaining healthy biological systems requires prompt identification of threats to biodiversity and immediate action to protect species, which for wide-ranging bat species that span geopolitical boundaries warrants international coordination. Anthropogenic forces drive the threats to bats throughout North America and the world. We conducted an international expert elicitation to assess the status of 153 bat species in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. We used expert assessment to determine the conservation status, highest impact threats, and recent population trends for these species. We found that 53% of North American bat species have moderate to very high risk of extinction in the next 15 years. The highest impact threats varied with species and country, and four IUCN threat categories had the greatest overall impacts: Climate Change, Problematic Species (including disease), Agriculture, and Energy Production. Experts estimated that 90% of species assessed had decreasing population trends over the past 15 years, demonstrating the need for conservation action. Although the state of North American bats is concerning, we identify threats that can be addressed through internationally collaborative, proactive, and protective actions to support the recovery and resilience of North American bat species.

Andrographis saxatilis (Acanthaceae), a new woody species from the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, India

Andrographis saxatilis (Acanthaceae), a new species, is described and illustrated from the rocky plateau of the Owk dam area, Andhra Pradesh. It is a perennial, woody‐root‐stocked undershrub. Unique characteristics of this species include hispid hairs, obovate, elliptic‐oblong and oblanceolate leaves, lanceolate glandular hairy sepals, and sterile bract and calyx towards base of rachis. Andrographis saxatilis is closely allied to A. glandulosa Nees by its perennial habit, woody rootstock in rocky crevices, glaucous green leaves, hairy stem, and glandular and attenuate hairy calyx and corolla. However, it is distinguished from the later by its hispid texture (versus densely pubescent in A. glandulosa), obovate, elliptic‐oblong, and oblanceolate leaves (versus ovate‐oblong), obtusely 4‐angled stem (versus acutely 4‐angled), hispid and glandular hairy sepals (versus villous), boat‐shaped upper lip of corolla (versus ligulate), and pubescent fruit (versus glabrous at base and glandular hairy towards the tip in A. glandulosa). The IUCN threat status of A. saxatilis is assessed as ‘Critically Endangered' (CR).

Toward the first Red List of Latvian lichens according to the IUCN criteria

Lichens are well-known bioindicators and exhibit high sensitivity to environmental changes due to their unique biological characteristics. Despite their ecological significance, lichens are often overlooked in conservation policies both at the European Union (EU) and global levels. The situation is better at the level of national Red Lists that can provide candidate species for regional or global Red Lists, thereby helping to prioritize conservation efforts. To fill a gap at the national level, this article presents the comprehensive data of the Red List of Latvian lichens. For the first time, IUCN threat categories and criteria were applied to assess 85 lichenized and one lichenicolous fungus during 2022–2023. Of these species, 3 were classified as Least Concern (LC), 2 as Data Deficient (DD), 11 as Near Threatened (NT), and 68 were ascribed the threatened categories: 14 to Vulnerable (VU), 27 to Endangered (EN), 27 to Critically Endangered (CR). The majority of Latvian lichens categorized as threatened or near threatened inhabit woodlands, particularly old-growth forests, which face the primary threat of intensive forest management. This article emphasizes the importance of continued evaluation efforts, while also addressing challenges associated with data scarcity and limited lichenological research capacity in Latvia.

Spatial decoupling of taxon richness, phylogenetic diversity and threat status in the megagenus Erica (Ericaceae).

Estimates of the number of vascular plant species currently under threat of extinction are shockingly high, with the highest extinction rates reported for narrow-range, woody plants, especially in biodiversity hotspots with Mediterranean and tropical climates. The large genus Erica is a prime example, as a large proportion of its 851 species, all shrubs or small trees, are endemic to the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) of South Africa. Almost two hundred are known to be threatened and a further hundred are 'Data Deficient'. We need to target conservation efforts and research to fill the most problematic knowledge gaps. This can be especially challenging in large genera, such as Erica, with numerous threatened species that are closely related. One approach involves combining knowledge of phylogenetic diversity with that of IUCN threat status to identify the most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. We present an expanded and improved phylogenetic hypothesis for Erica (representing 65% of described species diversity) and combine this with available threat and distribution data to identify species and geographic areas that could be targeted for conservation effort to maximise preservation of phylogenetic diversity (PD). The resulting 39 EDGE taxa include 35 from the CFR. A further 32 high PD, data deficient taxa are mostly from outside the CFR, reflecting the low proportion of assessed taxa outside South Africa. The most taxon-rich areas are found in the south-western CFR. They are not the most phylogenetically diverse, but do include the most threatened PD. These results can be cross-referenced to existing living and seed-banked ex situ collections and used to target new and updated threat assessments and conservation action.

Epigeic spider and ground beetles (Carabid) communities of semi-natural and natural habitats in agricultural landscape in Slovakia

Abstract We studied the spatial structure of spiders and beetles in 4 types of habitats in the Poloniny National Park. Between the years 2020 and 2021, we recorded 1,597 beetle specimens and 3,765 spider specimens using the pitfall trap method. The most represented beetles were Poecilus versicolor (53.4%), Nebria brevicollis (10.3%), Staphylinus caesareus (4.4%) and Amara familiaris (4.1%). Among the spiders, there were species Pardosa pullata (21.81%), Pachygnatha degeeri (14.21%), Xerolycosa nemoralis (10.28%), Pardosa palustris (7.86%), Trochosa ruricola (6.24%) and Alopecosa pulverulenta (4.38%). We confirmed the occurrence of two European important species of beetles (Carabus zawadzkii, Carabus variolosus) and 3 species of spiders belonging to the vulnerable species according to the IUCN threat status (Gongylidiellum vivum, Palliduphantes milleri and Xysticus lineatus). We also found the spider Micaria micans, which is new to the Slovak fauna and information about its distribution and habitat preferences in Slovakia is presented. Using multivariate analyzes (CCA, RDA) and classification species into bioindicative groups, we found a greater connection of adaptable and eurytopic species of ground beetles to the mesophilic meadow and of spiders to the habitat Nardetum pasture. Based on bioindicative groups of species (adaptable, eurytopic and relict), we found only a small difference in percentile points between spiders and beetles.

On the macroecology of rarity and vulnerability to extinction in terrestrial mammals

Understanding the interplay between rarity and vulnerability in the decline and extinction of species is a major challenge for modern conservation biology. In addition to traditional approaches, answering this question necessarily requires integrating new methodologies and information on species' life-history traits and responses to environmental stressors. Here we use data for over 4000 mammal species to: (1) assess which forms and levels of rarity are most represented across current IUCN threat categories; (2) test whether interspecific variation in vulnerability is more closely linked to intrinsic traits related to their rarity, or to extrinsic factors related to anthropogenic pressures; and (3) identify geographical areas where species with high potential vulnerability are particularly common and assess their overlap with forecasts of land cover change. To achieve these goals, we model the directional influence of life-history traits related with rarity and extrinsic correlates on vulnerability. Our results confirm the strong link between rarity and vulnerability within mammalian orders. A model encompassing the three main rarity traits (i.e. range size, population density, and habitat breadth) correlates with vulnerability, despite not being directly correlated with population density. Recent habitat changes (within the past 35 years) did not show a direct relationship with vulnerability, but the contractions in range size reveal a more complex long-term effect on species vulnerability. Given the current scenario of limited conservation resources, we anticipate that knowledge about the characteristics most associated with vulnerability, coupled with mapping species possessing these traits and facing potential future land changes, can facilitate the development of more precise and effective conservation strategies aimed at preventing species extinctions.

Reclassifying the Threat Categories of Two Rare Plant Species Endemic to Central Anatolia

Aethionema turcica and Astragalus beypazaricus are rare endemic plant species restricted to marly-gypsaceous soils from Ankara, Turkey. In a study in 2000, Ae.turcica and A.beypazaricus were classified under the “Least Concern” and “Critically Endangered” threat categories, respectively. This study aimed to reassess the global conservation status of these species according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria by using the recent findings based on their population sizes, distribution areas, and the main threats. Field research was conducted between 2016 and 2018. Additionally, physical-chemical soil tests were run, and the climatic data were utilized to draw bioclimatic conclusions. In Ankara, there are two populations of Ae.turcica, with 359 mature individuals covering 12 km2 AOO and 23.5 km2 EOO areas. A.beypazaricus has only one fragmented population with a total of 5700 mature individuals in Beypazarı, and both AOO and EOO were discovered to be 4 km2. Both species are on the verge of extinction due to habitat fragmentation and loss formed by intense anthropogenic activity. According to the findings, the IUCN threat categories for Ae.turcica and A.beypazaricus were suggested to be reclassified as CR based on the criteria B1ab(ii, iii) and B1ab(ii, iii)+2ab(ii, iii), respectively.

Hedysarum vuralii (Fabaceae), a new species from Turkey

Hedysarum vuralii, a new species in the tribe Hedysareae (Fabaceae), is described and illustrated. It belongs to Hedysarum section Multicaulia, collected from Ankara province in Turkey. H. vuralii is closely related to H. dededaghense but differs in densely adpressed white sericeous stem indumentum (versus spreading pilose); 7–10 paired, narrower, and glabrous above leaflets (5–16 ×1–3 mm, versus 7–8 paired, oblong-elliptic, 5–20 × 2–5 mm, spreading hairy on both surface); longer bracteoles (5–6 mm long, versus 3–4 mm); calyx teeth at least twice as long as tube (versus as long as tube); corolla greenish yellow, violet spotted at tips (versus purple); shorter standard (15–16 mm long, versus 19 mm); pods 12 × 4 mm, 2 (–3)-jointed (versus 14 × 5–6 mm, 1–2 jointed); joints 4–6 × 2–4 mm, pubescent with echinate in the center (versus c. 6 ×6, pubescent with setae). Taxonomic descriptions, images, the identification key, phenology, palynology, and the IUCN threat category of the new species were presented. Moreover, the geographical distribution of H. vuralii and H. dededaghense were mapped.

A New Rupicolous Species from West of Türkiye: Stachys cuhacioglui (Lamiaceae)

Stachys is one of the most diverse genera of the family Lamiaceae and currently consists of 360 species. Here, we describe Stachys cuhacioglui (Lamiaceae) as a new species based on morphological and micromorphological data. The new species was discovered in İzmir province in west of Türkiye. Stachys cuhacioglui differs from S. annua complex by its perennial, chasmophyte habitus, cordate basal leaves, shorter campanulate calyx with recurved teeth, and shorter corolla. The description, etymology, phenology, geographical distribution, IUCN threat category and ecology of the new species are given.

Biological knowledge shortfalls impede conservation efforts in poorly studied taxa—A case study of Laboulbeniomycetes

AbstractMost empirical research on biological shortfalls has focused on vertebrate taxa. This is important given many species in poorly studied groups such as invertebrates, plants, and fungi are predicted to possess high conservation risk. Here, we focus on Laboulbeniomycetes: a class of microfungi that are understudied. We examined four shortfalls: Linnean (knowledge gaps in species diversity), Wallacean (knowledge gaps in distributions), Latimerian (knowledge gaps in species persistence), and the newly introduced Scottian (knowledge gaps in species conservation assessments) shortfalls. The Linnean shortfall in Laboulbeniomycetes is hard to predict due to inconsistent species description rates. Analysis of distribution patterns indicates Laboulbeniomycetes are likely to experience an extremely high Wallacean shortfall, with many species having highly disjunct known distributions. Latimerian shortfall analysis shows over half (51%) of Laboulbeniomycetes have not been recorded in >50 years, while the group has a collective Scottian shortfall of 100%, given none of the 2454 described species have received an IUCN threat assessment. We suggest continued study of natural history collections, expanded citizen science programmes, and machine‐learning identification approaches as important tools for reducing knowledge shortfalls in both Laboulbeniomycetes and poorly studied taxa more generally.

Can an acoustic observatory contribute to the conservation of threatened species?

AbstractObservatories are designed to collect data for a range of uses. The Australian Acoustic Observatory (A2O) was established to collect environmental sound, including audible species calls, from 344 recorders at 86 sites around Australia. We examine the potential of the A2O to monitor near threatened, threatened, endangered and critically endangered species, based on their vocal behaviour, geographic distributions in relation to the sites of the A2O and on some knowledge of habitat use. Using IUCN and EPBC lists of threatened and endangered species, we extracted species that vocalized in the audible range, and using conservative estimates of their geographic ranges, determined whether there was a possibility of hearing them at these sites. We found that it may be possible to detect up to 171 threatened species at sites established for the A2O, and that individual sites have the potential to detect up to 40 threatened species. All 86 sites occurred in locations where threatened species could possibly be detected, and the list of detectable species included birds, amphibians, and mammals. We have incidentally detected one mammal and four bird species in the data during other work. Threatening processes to which potentially detectable species were exposed included all but two IUCN threat categories. We concluded that with applications of technology to search the audio data from the A2O, it could serve as an important tool for monitoring threatened species.

Vertebrate cave fauna troglobite and troglophile of the karst system of La Paz, in the Andean Region of Colombia, with notes on local extinction record

La Paz is a municipality located in the Eastern Andes of Colombia and has a great variety of hipogean and epigean karstic environments. Different speleological explorations carried out in the last decades in La Paz region have reported the existence of at least 23 subterranean environments including caves, caverns, grottos, holes, and sinkholes, of which the most remarkable due to its vertical depth is the Hoyo del Aire, a Sima-type geological formation with a vertical drop greater than 140 m and a diameter of 130 m. The presence of troglobite and troglophile vertebrate fauna was rereported, in only 17 of the 23 hypogean environments explored. The locations were visited in 2017 and 2019 and the existence of seven genera and 10 species including birds, bats, and fish were recorded, and of these, two species being endemic with their distribution restricted to the department of Santander. Additional data on the species analyzed including origin, common name, geographic distribution, and conservation status following IUCN threat categories are presented. Finally, the local extinction of a bird population extirpated from the Hoyo del Aire subterranean habitat is reported. The authors suggest that the national and municipal environmental authorities recognize the karstic area of La Paz as an area of environmental interest for conservation and regulated tourist use.

Anthropogenic Threats to Alligator Snapping Turtles (Chelydridae: Macrochelys)

With the conservation status of Macrochelys (alligator snapping turtles) being examined at the national level, our objective was to compile categorical data on threats from anthropogenic interactions. We included information from (1) author-collected anecdotes on human–turtle interactions and (2) radiographs to assess the prevalence of ingested fishing hooks. We placed 173 interactions involving 192 incidents into 9 IUCN threat categories and found bycatch involving fish hooks to be 4 times more numerous than the second-most numerous threat, turtle persecution. Fishing bycatch resulted in a high proportion of turtle mortalities (39%), and bycatch incidents in several cases preceded the highest-mortality threat (53%), persecution of individuals involving shooting or blunt trauma. We recommend fishing bycatch-mitigation measures and educational efforts to help conserve Macrochelys.

Conservation of Britain’s biodiversity: rediscovery of the extinct Lake District endemic Hieracium fissuricola, Fisherplace Gill Hawkweed (Asteraceae)

Hieracium fissuricola P.D. Sell, Fisherplace Gill Hawkweed, is a rare Lake District endemic. It had not been refound at the original 1954 locality at Fisherplace Gill and was regarded as extinct. A new site was discovered on the nearby Glenridding Estate in 2021 which comprised a tiny colony of six plants. It is IUCN (2001) Threat Status ‘Critically Endangered’. Seed has been deposited in the Millennium Seed Bank.

Long-term data show alarming decline of majority of fish species in a Lower Mekong basin fishery

Overexploitation, habitat fragmentation, and flow alteration are major threats to freshwater biodiversity that can lead to fisheries collapse and species extinction. These threats are particularly alarming in poorly monitored ecosystems where resource use supports the livelihoods of numerous people. The Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia is such an ecosystem, supporting one of the world's largest freshwater fisheries. Tonle Sap Lake fishes are the focus of indiscriminate harvest affecting species stocks, community composition and food-web structure. Changes in the magnitude and timing of the seasonal flood pulse have also been linked to declines in fish stocks. Yet, changes in fish abundance and species-specific temporal trends remain poorly documented. Analyzing 17 years' time series of fish catch data for 110 species, we show that fish populations have declined by 87.7 %, owing to a statistically significant decline for >74 % species, particularly the largest ones. Despite large variations in species-specific trends - going from locally extinct to >1000 % increase - declines were found across most migratory behaviors, trophic positions or IUCN threat categories, though uncertainty regarding the magnitude of effect precluded us drawing conclusions in some cases. These results, reminiscent of alarming declines in fish stocks in many marine fisheries, provide unequivocal evidence that Tonle Sap fish stocks are increasingly depleted. The consequences of this depletion on ecosystem function are unknown but will undoubtedly affect the livelihoods of millions of people, stressing the need to set-up management strategies aimed to protect both the fishery and its associated diversity. Flow alteration, habitat degradation / fragmentation - especially deforestation of seasonally inundated areas and overharvest - have been reported as major drivers in population dynamics and community structure, highlighting the need for management efforts aimed at preserving the natural flood pulse, protecting flooded forest habitats, and reducing overfishing.

An annotated checklist of flora of Overa-Aru wildlife sanctuary, Kashmir Himalaya

The Overa-Aru wildlife sanctuary is one of the largest protected areas in terms of area (425 km2) in Kashmir Himalaya. Here, we present an annotated checklist of flora of the sanctuary, which includes 397 taxa (392 species, 1 subspecies, 3 varieties and 1 forma) belonging to 254 genera in 76 families. Asteraceae was the dominant family with 57 species, followed by Rosaceae and Lamiaceae with 28 and 27 species respectively. Likewise, Salix and Veronica were the dominant genera with 7 species each, followed by Artemisia with 6 species. The herbs were dominant (307 species, 77.33%) followed by trees (41, 10.33%). Lifespan wise, perennials were dominant (318 species, 80.1%), followed by annuals (66, 16.62%). The hemicryptophytes were the dominant life forms (224 species, 56.42%), followed by phanerophytes (80, 20.15%). Further, nine species occurring in sanctuary are currently recognized under different IUCN threat categories. The checklist provides the first-ever comprehensive documentation of the flora from this Kashmir Himalayan protected area, supplemented with details on natural life-history traits and up-to-date conservation status. Hopefully, the study will be immensely useful in guiding suitable conservation strategies and management planning of protected areas in the region.

Taxonomy and distribution of Taraxacum sect. Erythrosperma (Asteraceae) in Poland.

The dandelions from Taraxacumsect.Erythrosperma are taxonomically well distinguished and ecologically restricted to warm and sunlit habitats of steppes, dry and sandy grasslands, and distributed in temperate regions of Europe and Central Asia, with some being introduced to North America. Despite the long tradition of botanical research, the taxonomy and distribution of dandelions of T.sect.Erythrosperma is still underexplored in central Europe. In this paper, by combining traditional taxonomic studies supported by micromorphological, molecular and flow cytometry analyses as well as potential distribution modelling we shed light on taxonomical and phylogenetical relationships between members of T.sect.Erythrosperma in Poland. We also provide an identification key, species-checklist, detailed descriptions of morphology and occupated habitats as well as distribution maps for 14 Polish erythrosperms (T.bellicum, T.brachyglossum, T.cristatum, T.danubium, T.disseminatum, T.dissimile, T.lacistophyllum, T.parnassicum, T.plumbeum, T.proximum, T.sandomiriense, T.scanicum, T.tenuilobum, T.tortilobum). Finally, conservation assessments performed using the IUCN method and threat categories for all the examined species are proposed.

Prioritizing Conservation and Research Effort for Poorly Known Species: The Buttonquails (Turnicidae) as a Study Case

Conservation status assessment of bird species is essential to prioritize conservation and monitoring efforts; however, this is not always possible to achieve due to lack of field data or scientific knowledge. In this context citizen science platforms can act as a data source to prioritize the conservation and research resources within a region or a given taxonomic group. Merging the available information on bird distribution areas from BirdLife International and field observations from eBird, the main citizen science birding app, we create a concern index, using the poorly known buttonquails (Turnicidae) as a case study. This concern index is based on two parameters: scarcity and uncertainty, which ultimately are based on two components, respectively. For every species, we defined scarcity as a combination of its frequency of occurrence (proportion of positive eBird checklists) and its relative range size, while uncertainty is a combination of the eBird effort (density of eBird checklists) and the range accuracy (proportion of positive eBird checklists within the BirdLife distribution area). We found a high correlation (Spearman r = 0.74) between our concern index and the IUCN threat categories for all buttonquail species. Then we apply this concern index to all buttonquail subspecies obtaining a ranked list for these non-assessed taxa, with some island endemic subspecies ranking very high together with the most endangered buttonquail species. Our approach is a very simple method to rank species within a given bird group and prioritize monitoring and conservation efforts. Moreover, it is also suitable for other taxonomic levels as subspecies or even for ecological units as populations, which normally lack a formal conservation status assessment.

A taxonomic revision of Keraunea, including three new species and its phylogenetic realignment with Ehretiaceae (Boraginales).

Keraunea is an enigmatic genus of lianescent shrubs endemic to Brazil and found within the Caatinga and Mata Atlântica phytogeographic regions. When first published, Keraunea was included in the Convolvulaceae and there has been considerable recent disagreement about its true family placement on the Angiosperm tree of life. Based on further assessment of morphology and a new comprehensively-sampled combined phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and plastid genes from recently published DNA sequence data, we settle the position of the genus within the Ehretiaceae as sister to the Australian genus Halgania Gaudich. and provide an expanded family description. We recognize five species within Keraunea, three of them newly described here: K.brasiliensis Cheek & Simão-Bianchini, K.bullata Moonlight & D.B.O.S.Cardoso, sp. nov., K.capixaba Lombardi, K.confusa Moonlight & D.B.O.S.Cardoso, sp. nov. and K.velutina Moonlight & D.B.O.S.Cardoso, sp. nov. We also provide a full taxonomic revision of the genus, including a key, descriptions, map of geographical distribution and provisional IUCN threat assessments for all species.