Species Extinction and IUCN Red List — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2024While it is doubtful if any new species are being added (through speciation) into the earth's treasury of species, there is no doubt about their continuing losses. The biological wealth of our planet has been declining rapidly and the accusing finger is clearly pointing to human activities. The colonisation of tropical Pacific Islands by humans is said to have led to the extinction of more than 2,000 species of native birds. The IUCN Red List (2004) documents the extinction of 784 species (including 338 vertebrates, 359 invertebrates and 87 plants) in the last 500 years. Some examples of recent extinctions include the dodo (Mauritius), quagga (Africa), thylacine (Australia), Steller's Sea Cow (Russia) and three subspecies (Bali, Javan, Caspian) of tiger. The last twenty years alone have witnessed the disappearance of 27 species. Careful analysis of records
NTA tests students on understanding the IUCN Red List as the official documentation of species extinctions and the rate at which species are disappearing due to human activities. The common mistake is confusing the IUCN Red List with conservation programs or thinking it only tracks endangered species—it actually documents confirmed extinctions. Students often misremember numbers (784 species in 500 years) or confuse recent extinctions like the dodo, thylacine, and tiger subspecies. Remember: IUCN Red List = extinction record; humans are primarily responsible; extinction rate is accelerating (27 species in last 20 years shows this). Focus on understanding why tropical islands have highest extinction rates and what 'biological wealth declining' means practically.
This paragraph was tested 3 times in NEET.
List of endangered species was released by (NEET 2024)
Red list contains data or information on: (NEET 2016 Phase 2)
The organization which publishes the Red List of species is: (AIPMT 2014)
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