Threatened Species in Colombia

The Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assigns a threat category to each species according to its risk of extinction. This category is selected based on standardized criteria that are evaluated for each species according to its characteristics of vulnerability and threat¹.

Evaluations for risk extinction are developed in international processes in which experts assess the global threat for the species (global evaluations) and in national processes in which the risk for each species in each country is assessed (national evaluations). In Colombia, national evaluations are published in Red Books. Globally, evaluations are completed for each taxonomic group, preferably every four years, and an effort is made to evaluate all of the species in each group. In Colombia, national evaluations arise from a predetermined list of species and there is only one evaluation per taxonomic group. Only birds, fishes, and reptiles have been evaluated two times in the country.

The Red List Index² is a complementary tool for evaluations of extinction risk since it summarizes the values of extinction risk for a group of species in a single value between 0 and 1, where 1 equals a better conservation status of the evaluated species. The Index is calculated once a new evaluation of extinction risk for a group of species is completed. With the Index, it may be determined if the condition of such group improved or declined in comparison to the previous evaluation. Additionally, the types of threats for different taxonomic groups may be compared.

For different taxonomic groups (amphibians, birds, invertebrates, mammals, fishes, plants, and reptiles) the Red List Index was compared by using the results of global evaluations for 6,165 species that are present in Colombia. For all taxonomic groups there was a decline in the Index, suggesting an escalation in the risk of extinction at a global level. This may be caused by increasing threats to species, lack of conservation measures that target threatened species, or a low effectiveness of implemented measures³.

Threatened species inhabiting the country seem to not be improving their global conservation status. In order to reduce extinction risks at a global scale, it is necessary to invest in conservation efforts in those countries with greatest biodiversity that also face significant threats of persistence. Colombia is one of the eight countries with greatest responsibility in the rise of extinction risks, particularly due to a decline in amphibian species ⁴.

An analysis of the Red List Index based on national evaluations may give evidence regarding the situation of species in Colombia and its possible similarities to global evaluations or advances in conservation statuses. However, calculating the Index at a national scale is not possible because there are no periodic evaluations for the same species or some previous evaluations were completed without complete information, rendering them invalid³. The great challenge is that of stimulating risk extinction evaluations in Colombia so there may be periodic results that allow for monitoring trends of extinction risks for different taxonomic groups in the country.