Global

Biodiversity Intelligence Dashboard

Threatened

16,983

CR + EN + VU

Critically Endangered

6,057

CR

Endemic Threatened

1,916

Found only here

Declining

0%

0 species

Category Breakdown

Distribution of 16,983 threatened species

CR 6057
EN 5475
VU 5451
CR: 6,057
EN: 5,475
VU: 5,451
Taxonomic Breakdown

Threatened % by group

mammals723/723 (100%)
birds739/739 (100%)
amphibians1726/1726 (100%)
fishes8/8 (100%)
insects1432/1432 (100%)
other invertebrates3396/3396 (100%)
plants8385/8385 (100%)
fungi149/149 (100%)
corals73/73 (100%)
molluscs739/739 (100%)
crustaceans275/275 (100%)
arachnids156/156 (100%)
other5/5 (100%)

CONSERVATION LEADERS

Key Conservation Organisations

BirdLife International

Global partnership of conservation organizations

Global bird conservation and habitat protection

Protecting birds and their habitats through a network of 120+ partner organizations worldwide.

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Conservation International

International NGO

Biodiversity conservation and ecosystem protection

Protecting over 6 million square kilometers of land and sea across 70+ countries through science-based conservation.

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Fauna & Flora International

International conservation charity

Species conservation and habitat protection

World's oldest international wildlife conservation organization, protecting threatened species and ecosystems since 1903.

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Panthera

International wild cat conservation organization

Wild cat conservation

Dedicated exclusively to preserving wild cats and their ecosystems, protecting jaguars, leopards, lions, pumas, snow leopards, tigers, and cheetahs.

Visit website

World Wildlife Fund

International NGO

Global wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Leading global efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats across 100+ countries.

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Notable Conservationists

George Schaller

Wildlife Conservation Society

Wildlife field biology and large mammal conservation

Pioneering field studies of mountain gorillas, lions, tigers, pandas, and snow leopards across multiple continents.

Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall Institute

Primatologist and conservationist

Pioneering research on chimpanzees and founding global youth environmental program Roots & Shoots.

Russell Mittermeier

Re:wild (formerly Global Wildlife Conservation)

Primate conservation and biodiversity hotspots

Identified global biodiversity hotspots concept and led conservation efforts for world's most endangered primates.

Sylvia Earle

Mission Blue

Marine conservation and ocean protection

Leading oceanographer who established Hope Spots network to protect critical marine ecosystems worldwide.

Thomas Lovejoy

George Mason University

Tropical ecology and biodiversity conservation

Coined the term 'biological diversity' and pioneered debt-for-nature swaps as conservation financing mechanism.

Source: Public records, institutional websites, published research

All Species in Global (17,806)
SpeciesStatusGroupTrend
CascudoIsbrueckerichthys saxicolaCRother invertebrates?
Mekong giant catfishPangasianodon gigasCRother invertebrates?
Parakysis notialisCRother invertebrates?
Chucky MadtomNoturus crypticusCRother invertebrates?
Oreoglanis lepturusCRother invertebrates?
喀什米爾紋胸鮡Glyptothorax kashmirensisCRother invertebrates?
Kudremukh GlyptothoraxGlyptothorax kudremukhensisCRother invertebrates?
bagre de torrenteAstroblepus formosusCRother invertebrates?
Guibourtia sousaeCRplants?
VähäkonnamonniEncheloclarias kelioidesCRother invertebrates?
Lake Victoria Deepwater CatfishXenoclarias eupogonCRother invertebrates?
Bagrinho-de-cavernaItuglanis bambuiCRother invertebrates?
Bagre de torrenteTrichomycterus ramosusCRother invertebrates?
脉纹毛鼻鲶Trichomycterus venulosusCRother invertebrates?
Trichomycterus santanderensisCRother invertebrates?
Bagre de torrenteTrichomycterus belensisCRother invertebrates?
Bagrinho-de-cavernaTrichomycterus itacarambiensisCRother invertebrates?
RunchoRhizosomichthys totaeCRother invertebrates?
Listrura tetraradiataCRother invertebrates?
NauhamatomonniListrura nematopteryxCRother invertebrates?
cunshiRhamdella montanaCRother invertebrates?
Pimelodella spelaeaCRother invertebrates?
Phreatobius sanguijuelaCRother invertebrates?
Rhamdia guasarensisCRother invertebrates?
bagre cunshiRhamdia xetequepequeCRother invertebrates?
Blindwhiskered CatfishRhamdia reddelliCRother invertebrates?
Bagrinho-do-tietêHeptapterus multiradiatusCRother invertebrates?
Incomati SuckermouthChiloglanis bifurcusCRother invertebrates?
Red-Tailed Shiny SkinkSigaloseps ruficaudaCRother invertebrates?
Dancing GirlGlobba radicalisENplants?
Rusizi suckermouthChiloglanis ruziziensisCRother invertebrates?
OkokonikoSynodontis guttatusCRother invertebrates?
圖氏歧鬚鮠Synodontis toureiCRother invertebrates?
OkokonikoSynodontis xiphiasCRother invertebrates?
德基氏歧鬚鮠Synodontis dekimpeiCRother invertebrates?
Squeaker CatfishSynodontis macrophthalmusCRother invertebrates?
Pseudepapterus gracilisCRother invertebrates?
Arius uncinatusCRother invertebrates?
Arius festinusCRother invertebrates?
Taylor's CatfishNeoarius tayloriCRother invertebrates?
Cave-FishLucifuga simileCRother invertebrates?
Cuban GarAtractosteus tristoechusCRother invertebrates?
Polka-dot splitfinChapalichthys pardalisCRother invertebrates?
Highland SplitfinHubbsina turneriCRother invertebrates?
Zacapu AllotocaAllotoca zacapuensisCRother invertebrates?
Catarina AllotocaAllotoca catarinaeCRother invertebrates?
Patzcuaro AllotocaAllotoca diaziCRother invertebrates?
Opal GoodeidAllotoca maculataCRother invertebrates?
Zirahuén AllotocaAllotoca meekiCRother invertebrates?
Rainbow GoodeidCharacodon lateralisCRother invertebrates?
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Biodiversity Brief — Global

Outlook: Deteriorating

This global assessment represents the world's most critically endangered species across all major taxonomic groups, with all 1,573 assessed species classified as Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List 2025. The dataset encompasses species from diverse biomes including tropical rainforests, coral reefs, freshwater systems, grasslands, marine environments, and temperate forests. Invertebrates dominate the assessment, comprising 972 species (62%), with other_invertebrates representing the largest group at 635 species, followed by amphibians at 403 species. The complete classification of all assessed species as critically endangered indicates these represent the planet's most imperiled biodiversity. While specific threats were not assessed in this dataset, the taxonomic distribution suggests widespread ecosystem degradation across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments. The high representation of amphibians reflects their particular vulnerability to environmental changes, while the substantial invertebrate component highlights often-overlooked biodiversity loss. Marine taxa including corals, molluscs, and crustaceans represent critical ecosystem engineers facing unprecedented pressures. The mammalian and avian components, though smaller numerically, likely include flagship species essential for ecosystem function. This assessment underscores the global biodiversity crisis, with species from every major habitat type requiring immediate conservation intervention to prevent extinctions.

Key Biomes & Ecosystems

Tropical Rainforest
Coral Reefs
Freshwater Systems
Temperate Forests
Marine Ecosystems
Grasslands

Conservation Achievements

Global conservation efforts have achieved notable successes despite the critical status of these 1,573 species. International frameworks including the Convention on Biological Diversity and CITES have established protective mechanisms for many critically endangered species. Protected area networks have expanded significantly, with marine protected areas growing from 1% to over 8% of ocean coverage in recent decades. Species-specific recovery programs have demonstrated success, with California condors, black-footed ferrets, and Arabian oryx recovered from near-extinction through captive breeding and reintroduction programs. Coral restoration initiatives across the Caribbean, Pacific, and Indian Ocean regions have developed heat-resistant coral varieties and innovative transplantation techniques. Freshwater conservation efforts have restored critical wetland habitats, while amphibian ark programs maintain breeding populations of critically endangered species. Indigenous-led conservation initiatives now protect vast areas of biodiversity-rich territories, contributing significantly to global conservation goals. However, the scale of the crisis, as evidenced by this comprehensive assessment of critically endangered species, indicates that current conservation efforts, while valuable, require substantial acceleration and expansion to address the magnitude of biodiversity loss across all taxonomic groups and ecosystems.

Source: IUCN Red List 2025-2, GBIF, national survey data