Lower risk
Former IUCN Red List category
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lower risk was a classification formerly used by the IUCN Red List, which is still found in some older assessments. It has been superseded by the Least Concern and Near Threatened classifications.[1] Species are classified into one of nine Red List Categories: extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, near threatened, least concern, data deficient, and not evaluated.[2]
The IUCN defined an animal with the conservation status of lower risk is one with populations levels high enough to ensure its survival.[3] Animals with this status did not qualify as being threatened or extinct. However, natural disasters or certain human activities would cause them to change to either of these classifications.[4]
When it was in use, this classification was sub-divided into three categories:
- Conservation dependent (LR/cd) - where cessation of current conservation measures may result in it being classified at a higher risk level.
- Near threatened (LR/nt) - may become vulnerable to endangerment in the near future but not meeting the criteria.
- Least concern (LR/nt) - where neither of the two above apply.
In the current version of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, version 3.1, used since 2001, the conservation dependent (LR/cd) assessment was removed. In the new version, species which would have been assessed as conservation dependent are assessed as near threatened (NT). However, until a new assessment is made species keep their original v2.3 status, so some species which have not been reassessed retain a conservation dependent (LR/cd) status.
Assessments of species which are currently assigned any of the Lower Risk conservation status are now all flagged as "out of date", which is displayed as a "Needs updating" annotation on the Red List website. This indicates a reassessment has not been made in over 10 years for the species, exceeding the maximum time span between reassessments aimed for by the IUCN.[5]
The IUCN Green Status, formalized in 2020, reintroduced an assessment of conservation dependence, with a metric assessed separately to the Red List category.
