The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is one of the world's most comprehensive information sources on the global conservation status of animal, fungi, and plant species. Categories and Criteria are used widely as an objective and authoritative system for assessing the global risk of extinction for species. Information on geographic range, life-history, population trend, size and structure, threats and conservation actions, is used to evaluate each species against the IUCN Red List criteria and assign it to one of eight Red List categories.
There are three threatened categories: Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), and Vulnerable (VU) (collectively referred to as the 'threatened' categories). Species that do not meet the threshold for a threatened category, but are close to qualifying or are likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future are placed into the Near Threatened (NT) category. Species that have been evaluated against the Red List criteria and do not qualify for either a threatened category or Near Threatened are assessed as Least Concern (LC). A species is Data Deficient (DD) when there is inadequate information to make a direct or indirect assessment of its risk of extinction using the Red List criteria. The category Not Evaluated (NE) indicates that a species has not yet been evaluated against the criteria. See the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria for further information.
There are three threatened categories: Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), and Vulnerable (VU) (collectively referred to as the 'threatened' categories). Species that do not meet the threshold for a threatened category, but are close to qualifying or are likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future are placed into the Near Threatened (NT) category. Species that have been evaluated against the Red List criteria and do not qualify for either a threatened category or Near Threatened are assessed as Least Concern (LC). A species is Data Deficient (DD) when there is inadequate information to make a direct or indirect assessment of its risk of extinction using the Red List criteria. The category Not Evaluated (NE) indicates that a species has not yet been evaluated against the criteria. See the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria for further information.
July 2019 IUCN Red List Update
Below is the March 21st 2019 Red List Assessment release for global sharks and rays completed as part of the Global Shark Trends Project, you can also view the document in Google Sheets.
March 2019 IUCN Red List Update
Below is the March 21st 2019 Red List Assessment release for global sharks and rays completed as part of the Global Shark Trends Project, you can also view the document in Google Sheets.