Red List of Plants and Animals of the Republic of Croatia Did you know?

- according to scientific estimates, 130 species go extinct every day, and most of these have not even been described yet? - the current period is considered to be the sixth period of massive extinction in the Earth's history? - the first red books were published 40 years ago, and threats have been estimated for some 50,000 species to date?

Though Croatia can boast of having exceptional diversity of its living world, many species in Croatia are on the brink of extinction. If they are recognized in time, their threats are assessed according to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and they are classified into the appropriate threat category. Taxa for which the threat category have been determined are then included on the red lists and red books of threatened taxa of Croatia. The first red lists and red books in Croatia were prepared in the 1990s, though the first systematic project to compile the red books according to the IUCN criteria was launched in 2000, and the first red book entitled Red Book of Threatened Birds of Croatia was published in 2003.Experts involved in research on specific groups of organism are involved in the creation of the red lists and books, including experts from the State Institute of Nature Protection and other scientific institutions.

IUCN and criteria

The standards for compilation of the red books and the rules and criteria for the assessment of threat to wild taxa were developed by the IUCN, the world's most prominent authority for the assessment of threats to the living world and its conservation. The IUCN keeps a global database of threatened organisms and publishes red lists and red books of species threatened at a global scale. At the end of 2009, representatives of the IUCN held a workshop in Croatia on the application of IUCN criteria for the determination of threat categories. The workshop was organized by the State
1

Institute for Nature Protection and was aimed at standardizing and improving procedures in the compilation of red lists and red books in Croatia. The IUCN is the world's leading organization for the assessment of threat and conservation of the living world. It consists of 80 member states, 112 state agencies and more than 800 non-governmental organisations. An important part of the IUCN is the Red List Union that coordinates the compilation and publication of red lists. Data for the creation of red lists is collected and prepared by the Species Survival Commission, which is made up of more than 7000 volunteer experts distributed into more than 100 specialist groups.

According

to

the

IUCN,

there

are

nine

threat

categories:

EX - Extinct

A taxon is extinct when there is no longer any doubt that the last individual has died. A taxon may be considered extinct if not a single individual can be found during intensive research in its known or assumed habitat at the time period which corresponds to its life cycle. A taxon that exists only in breeding grounds, captivity or as a naturalised population outside its native distribution range. Like in the previous category, a taxon may be considered extinct in the wild if not a single individual can be found during intensive research in its known or assumed habitat at the time period which corresponds to its life cycle. A taxon extinct in an area covered by a red list or red book. Like the remaining "extinct" categories, comprehensive research must be carried out in order to proclaim a taxon as regionally extinct. A taxon subject to extremely high risks of extinction in the wild. A taxon facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
2

EW - Extinct in the Wild

RE Regionally Extinct CR Critically Endangered EN -

Endangered VU Vulnerable NT - Near Threatened LC - Least Concern A taxon facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. A taxon which is presently not endangered, but could become so in the near future. A taxon that does not belong in any of the above categories of endangerment. This group includes the widely distributed and abundant species. A taxon for which data on distribution and/or population status are lacking in order to directly or indirectly assess its risk of extinction. This category is not a threat category, but instead indicates the need to collect new data on the taxa in order to be able to determine its category of endangerment. A taxon is Not Evaluated when it is has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.

DD - Data Deficient

NE- Not examined

What is the Red List? The Red List consists of lists of endangered taxa in the Republic of Croatia, with their appropriate categories of threat according to the IUCN criteria. Fifteen red lists have been compiled to date: birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, freshwater fish, marine fish, day butterflies, dragonflies, ground beetles, stoneflies, cave fauna, corals, terrestrial and freshwater gastropods, lichens, fungi and vascular flora. In the begining of 2012, red list of sea algeas and sea grasses and red list of freshwater crustaceans should be published. After a red list is compiled, the next step is to create the red book for the same group. During this process, the red list is revised and threat categories changed where needed in line with the most recent data. What is the Red Book?

A Red Book represents a publication that unites all the data on threatened species or taxa. During preparation of a red book, the existing red list of threatened taxa of the same taxonomic group, or category of threat of individual taxa, are revised according to the newest data. Complete information is compiled for each taxon, including the description and biology of the species, its distribution, its ecological characteristics, existing legal protection and, most importantly, a list of causes of threats to the taxon and proposed conservation measures, with a photograph or sketch of the species and a map of its distribution in Croatia. A total of nine red books have been published to 2011: birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, freshwater fish, marine fish, dragonflies, cave fauna, fungi and vascular flora. Red books to be published in 2012 include new red book of day butterflies, and revised red books for birds and for reptiles and amphibians. What are the Red Lists and Red Books used for?

The Red Books serve to recognise threatened taxa and the level and causes of their threats, for the purpose of determining priority measures for their conservation. After a red book is compiled, it continues to serve as an expert basis that, in consideration of other aspects such as economic or cultural aspects, facilitate the legal protection of the threatened taxa, either as protected or strictly protected taxa. The most threatened taxa are proclaimed strictly protected under the Nature Protection Act, while all others are proclaimed protected. Search the Red List of Threatened Plants and Animals in the Republic of Croatia