IUCN Red List: 36 Peruvian researchers and specialists were trained to apply international methodology for assessing the risk of extinction of marine species

 

In Peru, to date, there is no Red List of marine species, only one for wildlife species, which includes sea turtles and marine-coastal birds (SERFOR, 2018). In this sense, the Ministry of the Environment (MINAM), supported by WWF Peru, has initiated an evaluation process for marine species with some degree of threat.

In the course called “Evaluation of the Risk of Extinction of Wild Species using the IUCN Red List methodology”, 36 researchers and specialists from government institutions, organizations and universities participated, such as IMARPE, MINAM, PRODUCE, SERNANP, UNMSM, UNALM, UCSUR, APECO, Shark Coalition, among others.

During the course, participants had the opportunity to learn how to use and apply the 5 population assessment criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and with practical examples evaluate different marine species using available information on distribution, population size , habitat, ecology, use and/or illegal traffic, threats and conservation actions.

Mariella Superina and Jesús Morales-Campos, IUCN trainers who were in charge of the course, commented that developing this workshop was essential because the criteria and categories used have a certain complexity and it is important that they are applied correctly.

“These synergies (MINAM and WWF Peru) are fundamental. On the one hand, we need to have the authorities involved because they will later be used to prioritize which species or areas need to be protected. On the other hand, WWF plays an important role, it has the technical capabilities of its experts and also convenes them at the national level. It was the best thing that could have been done in favor of conservation,” the specialists added.

“At WWF, we consider that this initiative and strategic collaboration will contribute significantly to improving the accuracy and reliability of extinction risk assessments, as well as to the more effective conservation of species that result in more critical threat categories,” said Shaleyla Kelez, Wildlife Program Leader at WWF Peru.

What are the IUCN criteria?

The IUCN Red List categories and criteria constitute an easy-to-understand system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction. The general purpose of this system is to provide an explicit and objective framework for classifying the widest possible spectrum of species according to their risk of extinction.

What is the Red List of threatened species?

The Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an information platform that details the state of health of global biodiversity. This List was established in 1964 and to date is the most exhaustive source of content that exists worldwide on the conservation status of more than 157,000 animal, fungal and plant species.

​