The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List divides species into seven levels of conservation: Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, and Extinct. It uses a set of precise criteria to (21)        extinction risks and decides which species need protection. An endangered species is one (22)        meets any of the following criteria.

A species is classified as endangered when its population has declined between 50 and 70 per cent. This decline is measured over 10 years or longer. Geographic range describes the area where a species is found. (23)      the area that a species lives on, known as its area of occupancy, is estimated to be less than 500 square kilometres, then the species is classified as endangered. (24)       , a species is classified as endangered when there are fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. When a species (25)        declines by at least 20 per cent or two generations within five years, it is also classified as endangered.

(Adapted from Global Success)

UNIT 8: WILDLIFE CONSERVATION