Red Lists

In the 1960s, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) developed the first standard approach for dealing with the presentation of information on rare and threatened species.

More formal IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria were developed in the early nineties to further objectively assess and prioritise species for conservation purposes at a global scale. A review of these categories and criteria was completed in 1998 and 1999 and the current version the IUCN Red list categories and criteria (Version 3.1) is now widely used around the world for species assessments (IUCN 2001).  The IUCN also produce regularly updated guidelines for using the categories and criteria (IUCN 2010), and have produced guidelines for applying the criteria at a regional level (IUCN 2003).

NPWS and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency are working together with national experts and with the National Biological Data Centres North and South to produce regional Red Lists for the island of Ireland. The production of Red Lists is an action under our National Biodiversity Plans. Red Lists are published on an irregular basis, as datasets and the necessary national expertise for taxonomic groups become available.

BirdWatch Ireland and the RSPB NI have produced a list of Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCCI) in Ireland.  This was updated by: Lynas, P., Newton, S.F. & Robinson, J.A. (2009) The status of birds in Ireland: an analysis of conservation concern 2008-2013. Irish Birds, 8(2): 149-166.

Series Editors: Ferdia Marnell & Brian Nelson
ISSN 2009 - 2016