International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). red book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. International Union for Conservation of Nature in Russia. International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN transcript

08.03.2020

RED BOOK (RED LIST) IUCN

The Red Book of Facts was first published in 1963 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), established in 1948. The author of the term "Red Book" was Sir Peter Scott. At IUCN, its content is developed by the Species survival commission, a volunteer network of about 7,000 scientists, officials and members of non-governmental organizations around the world.

This is a non-binding, periodically updated international document that DOES NOT legislative act. But his materials are indispensable in the development of laws and strategies for the protection of wildlife. The Red Book is:

Source of reliable information Incentive for better study of endangered species Warning of consequences Tips for the conservation of species diversity

Rated	Enough Data	Disappeared EX
Extinct in nature EW
located disappearance	Critically Endangered CR
Disappearing EN
	Vulnerable VUs
	Near Threatened NT
Least Concern LC
Lack of DD data
Unrated NE

Ensure its consistent application by different experts Increase the objectivity of taxon extinction risk assessments Facilitate comparison of extinction risks of different taxa Provide insight into the classification of species according to their extinction risk

CATEGORIES OF THE RED BOOK (RED LIST). All categories and their Russian translation are given according to the Russian edition agreed with the IUCN “Categories and Criteria of the IUCN Red List. Version 3.1". Publishing House IUCN-2001. The accepted Russian designations of categories DO NOT ALWAYS coincide with their literal translation from English!

DISAPPEARED (EXTINCT, EX). They are recognized as such when it is known that the last individual died. With a thorough examination of all suitable habitats at the right time in the historical range, not a single individual of these species was found.

DISAPPEARED IN THE WILD (EXTINCTINTHEWILD, EW). Individuals are known to have survived only in culture or in a naturalized population outside the historical range. Otherwise conforms to category EX.

CRITICALLYENDANGERED, CR).

80%

The range is reduced to 100 sq km or less. The real habitat area is less than 10 sq km and is strongly fragmented up to 1 locality. There is continued decline or strong fluctuations in the number of populations and adults, as well as in the area of distribution and/or quality of habitat.

DISAPPEARING (ENANGERED, EN). Determined by one or a combination of the following criteria:

Reducing the number of not less than 50% 10 years or 3 generations.

· The current number is less than 2500 individuals, with 20% disappearing in less than 5 years, and the population size is no more than 250 individuals each, or 95% of all known individuals are in one population.

Reduction of the range to 5000 sq km or less

· The real area of habitat is less than 10 sq km and is highly fragmented up to 5 localities.

· Continued declines or strong fluctuations in population numbers and adults, as well as distribution and/or habitat quality.

VULNERABLE (VULNERABLE, VU). Determined by one of the following criteria:

30%

NEAR THREATENED. Based on the above criteria, the taxon does not qualify as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable, is close to it, or is likely to be categorized in the near future.

LEAST CONCERN The taxon is assessed and not classified in the above categories, or has a wide distribution and high abundance.

DATA DEFICIENT The available information does not allow a direct or indirect assessment of the taxon's extinction risk. Future studies may give grounds for its inclusion in one of the endangered categories.

NOT EVALUATED The criteria were not evaluated.

Anseriformes listed on the IUCN Red List 2004

DISAPPEARED (EXTINCT, EX)	THAT IS ON THE VERGE OF COMPLETE DISAPPEARANCE (CRITICALLYENDANGERED, CR).	DISAPPEARING (ENANGERED, EN)	VULNERABLE (VULNERABLE, VU).
Réunion ground goose Mascarenachenkervazoi	crested shelduck Tadorna cristata	Oxyura leucucephala	Wood black-billed duck Dendrocygna arborea
Mauritanian earthy goose Alopochen mauritanicus	LAYSAN TEAL Anas laysanensis		Lesser Lesser Lesser Anser erythropus
Amsterdam island duck Anas marecula	PINK HEAD DUCK Rhodonessa caryophyllacea	Scaled Merganser Mergus squamatus	Red-throated Goose Branta ruficollis
Mauritanian duck Anas theodori	ISLAND CAMPBELL DUCK Anas nesiotis	Chestnut Teal Anas chlorotis	Striped duck Salvadorina waigiuensis
Labrador eider Camptorhynchuslabradorius	MADAGASCAR DARK Aythya innotata	Madagascar Teal Anas bernieri,	Philippine mallard Anas luzonica
Auckland island merganser Mergus australis	BRAZILIAN MERCOAL Mergus octosetaceus	Madagascar mallard Anas melleri	Island Auckland teal Anas auklandica
		Hawaiian duck Anas wivilliana,	Eaton pintail Anas eatoni
		Hawaiian duck Anas wivilliana
		Blue duck Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos,.	Marbled Teal Marmaronetta anguirosris
		White-headed duck Cairina scutulata	Baer's dive Aythya baeri

International Union for Conservation of Nature(fr. Union internationale pour la conservation de la nature , IUCN) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to highlighting the problems of preserving the biodiversity of the planet, presents news, congresses held in different countries, lists of species in need of special protection in different regions of the planet. The organization has observer status with the UN General Assembly.

Headquarters in Gland, Switzerland

Extinct(disappeared) (EX)
Extinct in the Wild(disappeared in wild nature) (E.W.)
Critically Endangered(in critical danger) (CR)
endangered(in danger) (EN)
Vulnerable(in a vulnerable position) (VU)
Near Threatened(close to vulnerable) (NT)
Least Concern(Least Concern) (LC)
Data Deficient(not enough data) (DD)
Not Evaluated(threat not assessed) (NE)

Classification of protected areas

Since 1978, the IUCN introduced, and in 1994 improved a system by which all protected areas of the Earth were classified:

Category Ia and b: strict natural reserve - a site with untouched nature, full protection;
Category II: national park - protection of ecosystems, combined with tourism;
Category III: natural monument - protection of natural sights;
Category IV: reserve - conservation of habitats and species through active management;
Category V: protected land and sea landscapes - protection of land and sea landscapes and recreation;
Category VI: protected areas with managed resources - sparing use of ecosystems.

Members

The union includes both governmental and non-governmental organizations. They set the policy of the union, determine its global program of work, and elect the Council for IUCN World Congress. Member organizations are organized into national and regional committees.

Commissions

Species Survival Commission(SSC)

The SSC advises the Union on the technical aspects of species conservation and mobilizes action for those species that are threatened with extinction. The Commission draws up the Red List of Threatened Species.

World Commission on Protected Areas(WCPA)

WCPA promotes and manages an international representative network of terrestrial and marine protected areas.

Commission on environmental law (CEL)

CEL promotes environmental laws by developing new legal concepts and mechanisms.

Commission for Environmental, Economic and Social Policy(CEESP)

CEESP provides expertise and policy advice on economic and social factors for conservation and sustainable use biodiversity.

Education and Communication Commission(CEC)

The CEC advocates the strategic use of communications and education to empower and educate stakeholders for the sustainable use of natural resources.

Ecosystem Management Commission(CEM)

CEM provides expertise in the management of natural and modified ecosystems.

IUCN scales

As the oldest and independent body, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has been in operation for 77 years, operating since 1948. The Union's activity program is regulated by the World Environmental Strategy adopted in 1979. As a consultant to UNESCO, ECOSOC and FAO, IUCN includes 78 countries, almost 900 government and public organizations, more than 12,000 scientists and experts from 181 states. The Union publishes the Red Book, popular science literature, serial and special issues. Located in Gland, Switzerland, the headquarters of the union has never changed its location.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): mission

The unambiguous name also defines the main idea of IUCN:

Implementation of effective assistance to the environmental movement in preserving the uniqueness, integrity and characteristics of various natural complexes;

Ensuring lawful and reasonable consumption of natural resources that does not violate environmental sustainability the planet as a whole.

Having an observer status at the UN General Assembly, IUCN cooperates not only with intergovernmental institutions, but is ready for dialogue with any association striving to preserve resources.

Organization goals

The main objectives of the creation of the IUCN are:

Combating the extinction of species and the reduction of biological (species) diversity;

Keeping existing ecosystems intact;

Monitoring the wise use of resources.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources seeks to unite joint efforts and apply progressive scientific knowledge in environmental activities.

By implementing the adopted international conventions, IUCN assists various countries in the development and application of national strategies, environmental measures and plans.

Structure

IUCN is the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and its members are:

States;

government agencies;

Public organizations;

non-profit associations.

The activities of the union are coordinated by the Governing Council, elected by organizations that are members of the IUCN. The work of the union is carried out within the framework of six commissions and is carried out mainly by volunteers on a gratuitous basis. The strategy and program of activities of the association is adjusted every four years by member organizations. IUCN projects are financed from the funds of governments, international foundations, various associations and corporations, as well as members of the union.

IUCN activities

The multifaceted work of the union has several directions. Here are the main ones:

Illumination of the problems of the planet Earth and the search for their solutions;

Carrying out monitoring and scientific research;

Publications of news and articles by experienced experts of world importance;

Organization of various world significance, for example, World Congress of Parks, etc.

Scientific research and their focus

The International Union for Conservation of Nature is trying to apply the scientific and practical potential that exists today in order to preserve species diversity and support the prudent use of forest resources.

The priority is the development of a consistent policy for the conservation of forests in the implementation political decisions. IUCN advises various companies involved in forest land. The adopted program of the union for the conservation of forests on the planet coordinates the work on the protection, restoration and sustainable, but reasonable use of them. As time shows, the lessons learned from the results of active field research are used in political decision-making at different levels of government.

Published jointly with the WWF and UNEP in 1991, Aspects of a Sustainable Earth Strategy set out the main criteria applied to specific projects that combine issues such as conservation needs along with community needs.

How the IUCN functions

The activities of the association are carried out in six directions, within the framework determined by the commissions:

On the survival of species. This Commission maintains Red Lists, develops recommendations for the conservation of endangered species and applies them in practice.

By environmental law. It contributes to the promotion and adoption of environmental laws, the development of modern mechanisms of jurisprudence necessary for environmental purposes.

On environmental, economic and social policy. Provides qualified expert assistance in solving political issues adopted in accordance with regional socio-economic factors.

Education and communications. Develops strategies for using communications to conserve and sustainably consume resources.

Ecosystem management. Assesses the management of natural (natural) and artificially created ecosystems.

World Commission for Protected Areas.

International Union for Conservation of Nature in Russia

Our country did not stand aside. As part of the European program Since 1991, a functioning office for the Commonwealth countries has been opened in the capital, which later grew into a representative office.

The creation of this structure in Russia will make it possible to achieve the implementation of high-quality security projects on the vast territory of Russia and the CIS.

The representations are:

All-round conservation of forests, their rational consumption;

Maintenance of biodiversity of flora and fauna;

Creation and subsequent maintenance of the ecological in the Eurasian territory;

Protection of endangered, unique and rare species of representatives of the natural community;

Development of rational and sustainable agricultural production;

Development of the Arctic program.

Institutions representing Russia in the IUCN

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is represented by many countries. Our country in the union today is represented by:

Ministry of the Russian Federation for Natural Resources and Ecology.

Ecocenter "Reserves".

World Wildlife Fund.

Wildlife Conservation Center.

Society of Naturalists in St. Petersburg.

Fund for Wild Animals in Khabarovsk.

How to become a member of the IUCN

Membership in the ranks of the IUCN is honorary and must be justified and supported by relevant activities. In order to achieve it, you need:

Have the status of a state, public or research organization whose activities pursue environmental goals: the prudent use of resources and the maintenance of a sustainable natural balance.

Compile and submit an application for membership in the IUCN.

Wait for an answer. The International Union for Conservation of Nature evaluates the contribution made to the cause of nature conservation and the conformity of the work carried out by the organization with the goals of the union.

If approval is received, the organization gets access to the Internet portal, publications and takes part in consulting or expert work.

Note that only organizations can apply for membership in the IUCN. But individual experts can also act as members of the commissions.

The publication of the Red Book is one of the achievements of the IUCN

The most well-known aspect of IUCN activities, which is overseen by the Species Survival Commission, is the publication of the Red Book. It has been published periodically since 1966. With the passage of time and changes in the environment, its releases are updated, representing an extensive catalog of populations and species of animals, classified according to the degree of danger of extinction. It also gives an assessment of the state of the species for the current period and predicts the subsequent dynamics - negative or positive. The publication of each issue is preceded by a deep analysis of the state of nature. For example, the analytical work carried out by the IUCN in 2000 noted the negative dynamics of the impoverishment of the world's fauna. It is noted that over the past four hundred years, the planet has lost almost 700 species, and 33 have disappeared in the wild, preserved only in culture. The peak of this disastrous process came at the end of the 20th century and continues to this day.

Unfortunately, the forecasts for the future are even more dire. According to in-depth research by IUCN specialists, almost 5.5 thousand animals are on the verge of extinction. various kinds. The Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature is a document that served as a significant impetus for the emergence of national and regional Red Lists that raise environmental problems in limited areas. The work done to preserve the habitat is invaluable. That is why the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is a vital association that restrains the destructive work of man against himself.

Introduction.

International environmental organizations play a huge role at this stage in the development of society. Their creation was caused by catastrophic changes in the environment, they were called upon to protect nature and, in essence, should save, first of all, the man himself.

I believe that with the help of all these international environmental organizations, a person primarily protects himself from the results of his own activities. After all, loud statements that a global catastrophe is approaching and that if we do not take measures to save the environment, then life on the planet will perish, to put it mildly, does not correspond to reality. No matter what happens, life on the planet will not perish. After all, our Earth for 5 billion years of its existence experienced not such catastrophes. And even if a nuclear war happens now, then Life, even in the form of bacteria and spores, will still be preserved. And in hundreds of millions of years it will again be reborn in no less diversity than it is now.

But people don't see it...

Thus, if we want to survive, then first of all we must take care of the world around us, and we can only do this together. And the first steps in this direction are the activities of various international environmental organizations.

Now in the world there are a huge number of different organizations, associations, forums that set themselves the goal of protecting nature. However, oddly enough, we often do not even know what this or that organization does, and many have never even heard of most of them. In this paper, I will consider one of the oldest, and most effectively working of all existing environmental organizations - IUCN– International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Brief description of the organization.

IUCN - The World Conservation Union, European Program, Office for CIS, founded in 1948 on the initiative of UNESCO, is the world's oldest and largest independent, international, non-profit organization. Publishes the Red Book, serial issues, for example: "List of National Parks and Equivalent Reserves". The supreme body is the General Assembly. Since 1979, the official program document of the IUCN is the World Conservation Strategy (developed in 1978). Has consultative status with UNESCO, ECOSOC, FAO. The Union unites 78 sovereign states, 112 government agencies, 735 non-governmental organizations, 35 associate members and approximately 12 thousand scientists and experts from 181 countries of the world.

IUCN Mission:

Leading and assisting the global environmental movement to uphold the integrity and conservation of wildlife diversity and ensure that human use of natural resources is sustainable and prudent.

In accordance with the mission, IUCN is ready for constructive cooperation with any organization that is committed to the conservation of nature and natural resources. Our main goal is to improve environmental performance, regardless of the satisfaction of political and social ambitions.
IUCN has observer status with the UN General Assembly and maintains close working relationships with many intergovernmental organizations and programs, especially UNESCO, FAO, UNDP and UNEP.

IUCN Goals:

Dealing with the extinction crisis:

Species extinction crisis and enormous loss of biodiversity are perceived as a universal concern and responsibility, leading to actions to reduce the loss of intraspecific, interspecific and ecosystem biodiversity

Maintaining the integrity of ecosystems:

Maintaining and restoring, as needed, ecosystems, and ensuring that natural resources are used in a sustainable and prudent manner

Through international conventions, IUCN has assisted more than 75 countries in the preparation and implementation of national environmental strategies and action plans. The IUCN Secretariat employs about 1,000 staff, most of whom are located in 60 regional and country offices located in 42 countries around the world. About 100 people work worldwide at the IUCN headquarters located in Gland, Switzerland.
Since its inception, IUCN has been committed to facilitating collaborative efforts and promoting the use of scientific knowledge in environmental decision-making. The range of IUCN activities extends from the conservation of endangered species, protected natural areas and ecosystem management to environmental legislation and social policy. IUCN strives to ensure that decision-making in environmental activities is based strictly on a scientific basis, using the latest scientific developments.

The main directions of scientific research.

IUCN - the International Union for the Conservation of Nature - seeks to use the full potential of the world's science and practice of the environmental movement to conserve biological diversity and maintain the sustainable use of forest resources.

The IUCN Global Forest Program coordinates and guides the efforts of the Secretariat and members of IUCN to conserve forests. Forest conservation includes the protection, restoration and use of forest resources so that forests provide a wide range of potential goods and services.

The program promotes relevant policy implementation at various levels and uses the results of field research to draw lessons that could later be used to inform policy decisions. The principles set out in the brochure "Caring for the Earth. A strategy for sustainable living", published in 1991. jointly with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), are applied to specific projects that combine both environmental conservation needs and the needs of the local population.

One of the main areas of work is the development of a coherent and informed policy for the conservation of forests to translate political decisions into effective action. IUCN often advises large organizations working on forest issues to ensure that forest conservation priorities are taken into account in their projects and programs. The Forest Conservation Program receives financial support from the governments of the Netherlands, Canada, and the USA.

To improve the financing and implementation of environmental projects in Russia and other CIS countries within the framework of the European Regional Program, by decision of the Director General of IUCN, in 1994, the Moscow Office for the CIS countries was opened in Moscow, and in 1999 - the IUCN Representative Office for the CIS countries.

The priority areas of work of the Representative Office for the next five years are:

conservation of forest biodiversity and rational use forests;
creation of an ecological network of Northern Eurasia;
conservation of rare and endangered species;
development of sustainable practices Agriculture;
Arctic program.

Creation of the Red Book.

Since 1966, the IUCN Species Survival Commission, in cooperation with other conservation organizations, has been publishing issues of the International Red Book dedicated to various systematic groups of animals of the world or regional fauna (Fish, Amphibians and Reptiles, Birds, Mammals of America and Australasia, Invertebrates, Swallowtail Butterflies and etc.).

Of great importance were the publications of IUCN in 1988, 1990, 1993 and 1996. Red lists of endangered animals ( IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals), as well as the Red List of Threatened Species ( 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species). The International Red List of IUCN is a periodically updated global catalog of species, subspecies and populations of animals, distributed on lists-categories of the threat of extinction, indicating the main criteria for assessing their status. An analysis of the process of impoverishment of the world fauna, given in the international Red List (2000), shows that over the past four centuries, 83 species of mammals, 128 birds, 21 reptiles, 5 amphibians, 81 fish, 291 mollusks have completely disappeared from the face of the planet, 8 crustaceans, 72 insects, 3 onychophorans, and 1 turbellarian. In addition, 33 species of animals (mainly fish and shellfish) have disappeared in the wild and have survived only in cultivation. This destructive process began to manifest itself with the greatest force at the end of the last century and is still ongoing. 1130 species of mammals, 1183 birds, 296 reptiles, 146 amphibians, 751 fish, 938 mollusks, 408 crustaceans, 10 arachnids, 555 insects, and about 20 other invertebrate species are under the threat of extinction. The release of the first issues of the International Red Book gave a powerful impetus to the creation of national and regional Red Books and lists. Now such publications have many states of Europe, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, USA, South America, South Africa, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, etc.

The aim of the system is to introduce a clear and objective basis for classifying species according to their degree of risk of extinction.

1) identification of taxonomic groups with a high risk of extinction (at the national, regional and global levels);

2) assistance in setting priorities and forming a security policy at the level of local regions, countries and in the world;

3) formation of an objective long-term basis for comparing future statuses of global biodiversity.

The main organizational task of protecting rare and endangered species is their inventory and accounting both on a planetary scale and in individual countries. Without this, it is impossible to proceed either to the theoretical development of the problem, or to practical recommendations to save certain species. This task is difficult, and back in the 60-70s of the twentieth century, the first attempts were made to compile regional and then world reports of rare and endangered species of animals and birds. However, the information was either too concise and contained only a list rare species, or, on the contrary, very cumbersome, contained all the available data on biology and presented a historical picture of the reduction of their ranges.

In 1948, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources united and led the work on the protection of wildlife of state, scientific and public organizations in most countries of the world. Among his first decisions in 1949 was the creation of a permanent Survival Service Commission (Species Survival Commission), which in Russian-language literature is usually called the Commission on rare species.

The commission was supposed to study the status of rare endangered species of animals and plants, develop and prepare draft international and interethnic conventions and treaties for their protection, compile an inventory of such species and give appropriate recommendations for their protection.

The first chairman of the commission was S. Boyle, who was soon replaced by Sir Peter Scott, who headed the commission until 1978. The most authoritative scientists from various countries were elected as members: J. Dorst (France), G. Coolidge, L. Talbot (USA), R. Fitter, N. Simon, F. Fraser-Darling (England), W. Grzimek (Germany) ), K. Curry-Lindal (Sweden), D. Künen (Netherlands), D. Pimlot, V. Fuller (Canada), Yu. Zhabinsky (Poland) and others. From Soviet Union Professors G.P. were elected to the commission. Dementiev (1956), A.G. Bannikov (1960), V.G. Heptner (1966).

The commission began its work literally from scratch, since even a clear concept of a “rare species” did not exist. It was necessary to develop general principles for the approach to the protection of rare species, to identify species that were in real danger of extinction or extermination, to develop a system for their classification, to collect extensive information on biology in order to identify the main limiting factors.

One of the goals of the commission was to create a world annotated list (list) of animal species that are threatened with extinction for one reason or another. To emphasize the special significance of this list, it was necessary to give it a capacious and memorable name. Sir Peter Scott suggested calling it the Red Data Book. Red is a danger signal, and this is where it turned out to be appropriate.

It took fourteen years of hard work to prepare the first version of the Red Book. We decided to publish it in the form of typewritten sheets fastened like a loose-leaf calendar, where each species was given a separate page. Separate headings of such sheets reflected, in addition to the name of the species and its place in the system, the current and past distribution, status, total abundance, basic information about reproduction in nature, reasons for the decline in numbers, characteristics of conservation measures - both existing and proposed, the number of animals kept in zoos, captive breeding potential and a list of references. Information about endangered species was given on red sheets, about the rest - on white sheets. A number of sheets were also provided with distribution maps.

The first "pilot" edition of the IUCN Red List was published in 1963 in two volumes, which included information on 211 species and subspecies of mammals and 312 species and subspecies of birds. The circulation was negligible, and the Red Book was sent according to the list to prominent statesmen and scientists. As new information accumulated, additional sheets were sent to the addressees to replace the obsolete ones.

Cumbersomeness (format 29.5x21.0 cm), limited circulation, incompleteness of information made it an insufficiently efficient tool in the work of saving animals. Therefore, the preparation of the second edition was soon begun.

Three volumes of the second edition of the book appeared in 1966-1971. Now it had a "book" format (21.0 x 14.5 cm) in the form of a loose-leaf thick calendar, any sheet of which could be replaced with a new one. The book was also not designed for general sale, it was sent to the list of environmental institutions, organizations and scientists.

The number of species included in the second edition of the IUCN Red List has increased significantly, as additional information has been collected during its preparation. The first volume included information on 236 species (292 subspecies) of mammals, the second - on 287 species (341 subspecies) of birds, and the third - on 119 species and subspecies of reptiles and 34 species and subspecies of amphibians.

For this edition, the classification of rare animal status categories has been revised and the following four categories have been established:

1. endangered(Endangered) - rapidly declining in number; rescue is impossible without the implementation of special security measures.

2. Shrinking or threatened(Vulnerable) - still found in numbers sufficient to survive, but whose numbers continue to decline rapidly and steadily.

3. Rare(Rare) - not threatened with extinction, but found in such small numbers or in such limited areas that they may soon disappear if the situation changes.

4. indefinite(Indeterminate) - little-known, obviously endangered, the lack of information about which does not allow us to reliably assess the state of their populations and attribute them to any of the first three categories.

Data about the forms of the first category were printed on red sheets, information about the second - on yellow, and the third - on white, information about the forms of the fourth category was given on gray sheets in the form of an annotated list.

Already in the process of working on the second edition, it became clear that some of the species listed in it can be considered saved from extinction, in which the merit of the Red Book is also obvious. It was decided not to exclude them from the Red Book, but to give information on green sheets as species of a special category - restored(Out of danger or Restored). Thus, the Red Book became not only a danger signal and a program of work, but also the first result of these works!

Gradually, the IUCN Red List was improved and replenished. The third edition of 1972 included information on 528 species and subspecies of mammals, 619 species of birds, and 153 species and subspecies of reptiles and amphibians. The rubric has also been changed. individual sheets. The first section is devoted to characterizing the status and state of the art species, followed by geographical distribution, population structure and abundance, habitat characteristics, current and proposed protection measures, characteristics of animals kept in zoos, sources of information (literature). The book went on sale, in connection with this, its circulation was sharply increased.

The last, fourth "type" edition, published in 1978-1980, includes 226 species and 79 subspecies of mammals, 181 species and 77 subspecies of birds, 77 species and 21 subspecies of reptiles, 35 species and 5 subspecies of amphibians, 168 species and 25 subspecies of fish . Among them are 7 restored species and subspecies of mammals, 4 birds, 2 species of reptiles! The reduction in the number of forms in the latest edition of the Red Book was not only due to successful protection, but also as a result of more accurate information received. It should be noted that new species have also appeared in the Red Book, although their number is small.

Work on the IUCN Red List continues. In principle, there can be no “last” version of it. This is a document of permanent action, since the living conditions of animals are constantly changing and more and more new species can be in a catastrophic situation. At the same time, the efforts made by man are bearing good fruit, as evidenced by its green leaves.

In the preparation of materials and the implementation of the very idea of the Red Book, new trends and approaches have emerged and prevailed. Since 1981, the IUCN Rare Species Commission began issuing the IUCN Red Book books not in the form of a loose-leaf calendar, but typographically bound, fully adapted not only to summarizing information about rare species and their protection, but also to commercial use (at a very high price ). Between 1981 and 1991, at least 10 volumes of such books were published. In addition to the IUCN, other international organizations also take part in their preparation and publication. An important role is played by the World Environmental Monitoring Center in Cambridge. The books themselves are copyrighted, unlike the "faceless" IUCN Red Data Books of the previous period. The principle of building the publication as a whole is geographical and systematic (for example, Rare Primates of Africa, 1988). Individual books vary greatly in length, some are very voluminous (up to 760 pages), and there are more "modest" ones (about 150 pages). In fact, this is a monographic description of rare species, based on computer processing of all available materials and clothed in the form of "Red Book" sheets. Categories of status still in the old version of the IUCN, the summary is given general characteristics species (subspecies). The publication is not regulated by certain deadlines and it is almost impossible for us, Russians, to receive a complete set in the future. Hence the lower value of the publication for us. Now this work continues everywhere and regional Red Data Books (individual territorial entities) are being published.

The second branch of the idea of the Red Book is the emergence of a completely new form of information about rare animals in the form of the publication of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. They also come out under the auspices of the IUCN, but officially and practically they are not a version of the Red Book, they are not similar to it, although they are close to it. Such lists were published in 1988, 1990, 1994 and 1996, 1998. It was assumed that in the future the interval between issues would be two years, but this sequence has already been violated. The publication is carried out by the World Environmental Monitoring Center with the participation of more than a thousand members of the Commission on rare species of IUCN. The format of the first two editions was 24.0x16.6 cm, the second two and, probably, the subsequent ones are somewhat larger - 29.5x21.0 cm.

The classification of material for each species is fundamentally different from that in the IUCN Red Data Books and includes only the scientific (Latin) name of the species, the English name, a description of the geographical distribution (the states where the species lives) and the status category. Thus, the use of such Lists is extremely limited. It should be added that due to a clear lack of knowledge of Russian-language literature, the Lists give a somewhat distorted picture of the state of rare species in our country and are not identical to the IUCN Red List (this was specially emphasized in the first issue of the List, 1990). When quoting them, you should make an appropriate reference to the list. positive quality of these Lists - strict periodicity and a short interval between new editions.

Almost simultaneously with the start of the publication of the Lists, that is, in 1989, at the initiative of the IUCN Commission on Rare Species, a revision of the system of categories of the status of rare animal species was launched, which was the basis of all the red books of the world and which has existed without changes for more than 30 years. The main tasks in the development of new criteria were the requirement to provide a clearly defined metric and objective framework for classifying species according to the degree of risk of extinction, to clarify the objectivity of the criteria used in assessing various factors associated with the risk of extinction, to provide a system of comparison within taxa of various sizes and thereby give specialists understanding the essence of the criteria for the classification of rare species.

New system status categories was developed by the IUCN Rare Species Commission from 1989 to 1994. It was repeatedly revised, supplemented and refined, and was finally approved and adopted at the fortieth meeting of the IUCN Council on November 30, 1994, after which it acquired the status of an international recommendation, and all publications, one way or another connected with the activities of the IUCN, unconditionally adopted it.

Edition "Red Lists of Threatened Species" carried out World monitoring center environment in Cambridge (UK) with the participation of more than a thousand members of the IUCN Rare Species Commission.

The structural basis of the new system is formed by two main blocks : a) endangered taxa; and b) low risk taxa (LC).

The first block is divided into three categories:

■taxa in critical condition (CR)

■Endangered taxa (EN)

■taxa in vulnerability (VU)

These three categories are the main ones, warning about the seriousness of the loss of representatives of the taxon in the near future. It is they who make up the main array of taxa listed in the red books of various ranks.

The second block includes representatives who do not belong to any of the categories of the first group, and consists of the following categories:

■taxa depending on the degree and measures of protection (CD)

■taxa close to threatened (NT)

■taxa of minimum risk (LC)

Two more categories that are not directly related to protection problems stand somewhat apart:

■ taxa, completely extinct (EX)

■ taxa surviving only in captivity (EW)

The new system of categories is largely objective, has a convincing structure and form, and cannot be brushed aside. At the same time, for practical use, it may be unnecessarily complicated, and in a number of sections it is not indisputable.

The criteria by which species are included in one category or another are quite diverse, but are determined on the basis of quantitative indicators. The range of a set of criteria that determine the inclusion of a species in the appropriate category is also quite wide and includes such indicators as, for example: characteristics of the state and changes (reductions) in the population size in absolute numbers, percentages and time parameters; characteristics of the dynamics and structure of the range (area, pulsation, degree of fragmentation) in absolute terms (the same criterion also includes a quantitative assessment of the habitats necessary for the species and their state and dynamics), many other characteristics. It is important to emphasize that compliance with any of the criteria already serves as a basis for including a taxon in the corresponding category of status, although in principle each taxon should be assessed according to the maximum number of criteria. It should also be borne in mind that the criteria can be applied at the taxonomic level no higher than the species, which does not exclude the possibility of covering subspecies and even populations with the system.

Thus, in general, the traditional system of status categories turned out to be noticeably expanded. Undoubtedly, this approach to the categorization of rare species has its own, and very significant, rational grain. However, it also contains a number of ambiguous postulates and decisions, which should be emphasized when considering the Red Book of Russia, the formation of which coincided with the birth of a new scale of status categories.

The IUCN Red Book, like the Red Lists, is not legal (legal) documents that are binding, but is purely advisory. These documents cover animal world on a global scale and contain protection recommendations addressed to countries and governments in whose territory a threatening situation has developed for animals. These recommendations are inevitably, precisely because of the global scope, are of the most general, approximate nature. Therefore, a necessary addition to the IUCN Red List is the national Red List, which can take into account specific circumstances and plan protective actions with a much greater degree of accuracy, efficiency and reality.

There are interstate (for example, the Red Book of the CIS member states), national (on a national scale), territorial (for example, the Red Book of the North Far East) and subject red books. National Red Books do not replace, but complement the IUCN Red Book. They have been created in a number of countries in Europe, Asia and America, in Australia and in our country.

It should be mentioned that the idea of creating national red books has not found an unambiguous understanding in all countries. For example, in the United States, the Red Book does not exist as such, but its role is played by the Act on the Protection of Rare Species of Animals and Plants, adopted by Parliament and which is a legal document, but does not contain scientific information. The decision to remove restored species from the Act is also made by Parliament.