Insights from three decades of IUCN Red List assessments catalyzing shark, ray, and chimaera conservation

NEW PUBLICATION RELEASE |

​What does it take to assess the extinction risk of an entire class of cartilaginous fishes? 

​A new paper reflects on three decades of work coordinated through the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group to develop global IUCN Red List assessments for sharks, rays, and chimaeras — and explores how these assessments have evolved to better support conservation action.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is one of the most important tools for measuring extinction risk and tracking changes in biodiversity over time through the Red List Index. For sharks, rays, and chimaeras, this work has provided the best available global scientific evidence on species status, trends, threats, and conservation needs.

Sharks, rays, and chimaeras are one of the few aquatic vertebrate groups to have been comprehensively assessed twice, with hindcast assessments back to 1970, providing an unprecedented picture of long-term extinction risk for an aquatic vertebrate class.

The paper identifies six key lessons that have strengthened Red List assessments over time:

• Building and maintaining a global expert network
• Adapting to taxonomic changes
• Applying a precautionary approach where data are limited
• Prioritizing critical information gaps
• Standardizing assessment methods
• Strengthening links between Red List assessments and conservation policy

The challenges remain significant, including limited resources, rapid taxonomic change, gaps in species-specific data, and discrepancies between assessments conducted at different spatial scales. The paper highlights the need for sustained support, new tools, and stronger links between global assessments and conservation action on the ground.

Thirty years of collaboration have transformed our understanding of extinction risk for sharks, rays, and chimaeras. They have also shown how sustained expert networks, rigorous science, and policy-relevant assessments can help shape the future of evidence-based conservation.

Congratulations to the authors — Brittany Finucci, Cassie Rigby, Nick Dulvy, Rachel Cavanagh, Sarah Fowler, Lucy Harrison, Julia Lawson, Riley Pollom, Colin Simpfendorfer, Rachel Walls, and Rima Jabado — for bringing together this important reflection on three decades of Red List work.

And a huge thank you to the previous Red List Authority Coordinators and the thousands of experts, assessors, coordinators, and partners who have contributed to this work over the past three decades. Our work is only possible because of their contributions.
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Read the paper here: http://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70349