News: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recently published its first-ever Green Status assessment for the lion (Panthera leo). IUCN Green Status assessments.
First Green Status assessment for the lion (Panthera leo)
- The first Green Status assessment for the lion (Panthera leo) shows that it is Largely Depleted, while the species remains Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- Impact of Human Activity: Ongoing human pressures are limiting the lion’s ability to play its natural ecological role throughout its current range.
- Regional Extinction: Lions have been completely lost from North Africa and Southwest Asia.
- Conservation Achievements: Targeted efforts in West and Southern Central Africa, South Africa, and India have successfully averted potential local extinctions and supported population stability.
About IUCN Green Status assessments
- IUCN Green Status of Species is a standardized global framework developed to measure and monitor species recovery.
- The outcomes of a Green Status assessment such as the Species Recovery Score and Category, along with conservation impact metrics and categories, should be interpreted in conjunction with the species’ IUCN Red List classification.
- The Green Status emphasizes that conservation extends beyond preventing extinction.
- The Green Status framework includes eight categories: Extinct in the Wild, Critically Depleted, Largely Depleted, Moderately Depleted, Slightly Depleted, Fully Recovered, Non-Depleted, and Indeterminate.
- Currently, more than 100 species have been assessed under the IUCN Green Status and are featured on the IUCN Red List.
