IUCN Red List
Extinction is forever
It is a natural phenomenon, yes, but today it is accelerating at an alarming rate — and humans are the main cause.
In short
Extinction is the permanent disappearance of a species. Today, risk is driven mainly by changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation, climate change, pollution and invasive alien species. The IUCN Red List assesses global risk: protecting habitats and populations before they collapse is the most effective response.
Loss of biodiversity
Why are species becoming extinct faster today?
Species disappear ever faster, often before we even get to know them. Habitat loss, poaching, pollution and climate change are rewriting the planet's biodiversity.
Every species lost is a thread torn from the web of life: an irreversible loss that impoverishes ecosystems and, with them, us too.
Pressures on nature
What are the main causes of extinction?
The IPBES Global Assessment identifies five direct drivers that often combine, reducing habitats and populations until a species' survival becomes fragile.
- Changes in land and sea use — Deforestation, intensive farming, urbanisation and coastal development fragment or erase habitats.
- Direct exploitation of organisms — Unsustainable hunting, fishing, harvesting and trade can reduce populations faster than they can reproduce.
- Climate change — Temperatures, rainfall, oceans and seasons are changing, shifting or removing the conditions species depend upon.
- Pollution — Chemicals, plastics, excess nutrients, noise and light alter environments and food chains.
- Invasive alien species — Organisms introduced outside their natural range may compete with, prey upon or spread disease to native species.
Driver classification: IPBES Global Assessment.
Interconnected ecosystems
What happens when a species disappears?
A species does not live in isolation: it may pollinate plants, disperse seeds, control other populations or provide food. Its disappearance alters these relationships and can make an ecosystem less stable and less able to respond to new disturbances.
To see risk through real examples, explore the photographed species and their IUCN status ; to understand how art and fundraising come together, discover the Animals in Black project.
Conservation
How does the IUCN Red List work?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature assesses species using shared scientific criteria and assigns them to risk categories. Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered identify threatened species; Extinct in the Wild and Extinct describe even more severe losses.
See the IUCN summary statistics and the official categories and criteria.
Species at risk of extinction
Species assessed globally
RED List
Conservation status codes
- EX Extinct No individuals survive.
- EW Extinct in the wild Survives only in captivity.
- CR Critically endangered Extremely high risk of extinction.
- EN Endangered Very high risk of extinction.
- VU Vulnerable High risk of extinction.
- NT Near threatened Likely to become threatened soon.
- LC Least concern Low risk of extinction.
- DD Data deficient Not enough data to assess.
- NE Not evaluated Not yet assessed by the IUCN.
Essential answers
Frequently asked questions about animal extinction
What does it mean when a species is extinct?
It means that no living individual of that species remains. The loss is permanent, which is why preventing decline is more effective than intervening when only a few individuals survive.
Which IUCN categories identify a threatened species?
The threatened categories are Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN) and Critically Endangered (CR). Extinct in the Wild (EW) means the species survives only in captivity, cultivation or outside its former range.
How many species are currently at risk?
IUCN data loaded on this website on 25 June 2026 identify 48,600 threatened species. The total changes as new species are assessed and existing assessments are updated.
What can one person do to help prevent extinction?
People can support reputable organisations, reduce consumption and waste that increase pressure on habitats, choose traceable products, avoid illegal wildlife and wildlife products, and share information based on scientific sources.
Which sources were used?
The information on this page is based on official resources from the IUCN Red List and the global assessment by IPBES Global Assessment.