The IUCN Red Data categories

The International Union for Conservation of nature (IUCN) has defined Red Data categories which specify the exact stage of the extinction process. The 1994 categories are:

• VULNERABLE (VU)
• ENDANGERED (EN)
• CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (CR)
• RARE (R)
• EXTINCT (EX)
• EXTINCT IN THE WILD (EW)
• LOWER RISK (LR) These were updated in 2001 with the addition of :
  • NEAR THREATENED (NT)
  • LEAST CONCERN (LC)
  • DATA DEFICIENT (DD)
  • NOT EVALUATED (NE)

For the definition of each of these categories, click here