THE IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership-based union of government and civil society organizations. Its purpose is to foster human progress, economic development, and nature conservation. The IUCN was created in 1948 and has evolved into the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network. It draws on the experience, resources, and reach of its 1,300 member organizations and the input of some 10,000 volunteer experts from various disciplines who continually assess the state of the world’s natural resources.
HOW
THE IUCN WORKS
THE IUCN GLOBAL SPECIES
PROGRAMME
The program—based at the IUCN’s headquarters in Gland, Switzerland—supports the activities of The IUCN Species Survival Commission. It also produces, maintains, and manages The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
IUCN SPECIES SURVIVAL COMMISSION
The SSC is a science-based global network of more than 7,500 volunteer experts who feed data on biodiversity conservation into The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The SSC comprises more than 140 specialist and other groups. Some focus on particular groups of plants and creatures, while others focus on wildlife health and species reintroduction.
THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™
The Red List is the most comprehensive and objective global evaluation of the conservation status of plant and animal species. It plays an increasingly prominent role in guiding conservation activities of governments, NGOs, and scientific institutions. The introduction in 1994 of a scientifically rigorous approach to determine the extinction risks for all species has become a world standard.
AFRICAN & ASIAN RHINO SPECIALIST GROUPS
The AfRSG and AsRSG, respectively, meet regularly to promote the development and long-term maintenance of viable wild rhino populations in Africa and Asia. Membership comprises official country representatives from the leading rhino range states and other specialists. Action Plans for conserving African rhinos and Asian rhinos have been produced.
IUCN SPECIES CLASSIFICATION
HOW MANY SPECIES ARE THERE?
The number of species on Earth was once estimated at anywhere between 3 million and 100 million, but a far more precise estimate was published in 2011. We now believe there are about 8.7 million species on Earth: 6.5 million on land and 2.2 million in the oceans.
So far, about 1.25 million species have been described (+/- 1 million on land and about 250,000 in the oceans). An estimated 700,000 additional species have been described but have yet to reach the central databases. So far, more than 142,500 species are included in the Red List. Sadly, over 40,000 of them are threatened with extinction, including 41 percent of amphibians, 37 percent of sharks and rays, 34 percent of conifers, 33 percent of reef-building corals, 26 percent of mammals, and 13 percent of birds.
The following infographic sets out the Red List’s assessment categories. Click on the icons to find out more.
RHINOS AND THE RED LIST
All five members of the rhino family, together with their subspecies, have been assessed for the Red Data List. Click on the images below to find out more about the conservation status of each of the living rhinos.
The Sumatran Rhino Dicerorhinus sumatrensis is “Critically Endangered.” Three subspecies are recognized, and they are assessed as follows:
NORTHERN SUMATRAN RHINO—D. s. lasiotis. Once found in India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, the subspecies is probably extinct. However, there is a very remote possibility of a small remnant population in northern Myanmar. For this reason, it is still regarded as “Critically Endangered.”
BORNEAN SUMATRAN RHINO—D. s. harrissoni. The subspecies once occurred widely on the island of Borneo. It is now restricted to a few survivors in Kalimantan, the Indonesian region of the island. It is “Critically Endangered.”
MALAYSIAN SUMATRAN RHINO—D. s. sumatrensis. The subspecies was once found across Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia, as well as Sumatra. Today the subspecies occurs only in tiny isolated populations on the Indonesian Island of Sumatra. It is regarded as “Critically Endangered.”
The Javan Rhino Rhinoceros sondaicus is considered “Critically Endangered .” Three subspecies are recognized, and they are assessed as follows:
INDIAN JAVAN RHINO—R. s. inermis. The subspecies once occurred in northeastern India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. However, it has been regarded as “Extinct” for nearly two decades.
VIETNAMESE JAVAN RHINO—R. s. annamiticus. The subspecies once occurred in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and eastern Thailand. The last known survivor was shot in 2010 in Vietnam’s Cat Tien National Park. The subspecies was declared “Extinct” in 2011.
MALAYSIAN JAVAN RHINO—R. s. sondaicus. The subspecies once roamed through Thailand and Malaysia, as well as the islands of Java and Sumatra. Today the only remnant population occurs in the westernmost tip of Java. It has been restricted to this region since the 1930s. It is listed as “Critically Endangered.”
The Black Rhino Diceros bicornis is “Critically Endangered .” The five subspecies are assessed as follows:
SOUTH-WESTERN BLACK RHINO—D. b. bicornis. The South-western Black Rhino’s range includes Namibia, southern Angola, western Botswana, and southwestern and southeastern South Africa (up to the Kei River). However, today they occur only in Namibia (the stronghold) and South Africa, with a sighting of one animal in Angola and unconfirmed reports of possibly another three animals. Overall numbers are increasing, but the threat from poaching remains severe, so the subspecies is regarded as “Near Threatened.”
EASTERN BLACK RHINO—D. b. michaeli. Once, the subspecies was distributed from southern Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia, through Kenya into northern-central Tanzania and Rwanda. Its current stronghold is Kenya. Smaller but growing numbers occur in northern Tanzania. This is the rarest of the extant Black Rhino subspecies, with fewer than 1,000 in the wild. Though numbers have shown a modest increase in recent years, poaching remains a severe threat to these small populations. The subspecies is regarded as “Critically Endangered.”
SOUTH-EASTERN BLACK RHINO—D. b. minor. Once, the subspecies is believed to have occurred from southern Tanzania through Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to the northern, northwestern, and northeastern parts of South Africa (north of the Mtamvuna River). It probably occurred in the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northern Angola, eastern Botswana, Malawi, and Eswatini. Today, its stronghold is South Africa and, to a lesser extent, Zimbabwe. Smaller numbers remain in southern Tanzania. Despite increases in some parts of its range in South Africa and Zimbabwe and some successful reintroductions, the threat of poaching remains severe. The subspecies is regarded as “Critically Endangered.”
WESTERN BLACK RHINO—D. b. longipes. Listed as “Extinct.”
NORTH-EASTERN BLACK RHINO—D. b. brucii. Relict populations in northern Somalia vanished during the early 20th century. The subspecies is regarded as “Extinct.”
INDIAN RHINO Rhinoceros unicornis. Although Indian Rhinos are increasing in some parts of their range due to effective protection, habitat degradation and fragmented populations remain long-term threats to the species. It’s listing as “Vulnerable” remains in force.
SOUTHERN WHITE RHINO—C. s. simum. Although still the most abundant of all extant rhinos, the current wave of poaching has exacted a terrible toll. Numbers have declined dramatically, and the subspecies is regarded as “Near Threatened.”
NORTHERN WHITE RHINO—C. s. cottoni. The only known live individuals of the subspecies are two female ex-zoo animals now on private land in Kenya. It is regarded as “Extinct in the Wild.”
