The Red Data Book

The Red Data Book is a published compilation that documents, species by species, the current conservation status of threatened plants and animals, drawing directly on the IUCN Red List threat categories described in the previous section. It is compiled and maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and separate national or regional versions of the Red Data Book are also produced by individual countries and conservation bodies, documenting the threatened species found specifically within their own territory.

For each species entered in it, the Red Data Book typically records information such as the species' current IUCN threat category, an estimate of its remaining population size where this is known, the geographical extent and location of its remaining range, the principal threats it faces, and, where available, any conservation measures already being taken or recommended on its behalf. Because this information is standardised and kept regularly updated as new field data becomes available, the Red Data Book serves as the single most important reference source that conservation planners, government agencies and researchers consult when deciding how conservation resources and legal protections should be prioritised -- a species newly added to, or moved to a more severe category within, the Red Data Book is typically flagged for urgent conservation attention, while the Red Data Book's …