New National Red List Website Launched

The Zoological Society of London has recently launched the National Red List website. It is the first central source of national-level biodiversity data, and already holds over 50,000 species accounts from 40 countries.

The website and database seeks to document all existing species assessments and conservation action plans. The new initiative identifies the taxonomic and geographic gaps in biodiversity data, highlighting those regions in need of National Red Lists assessments. It also provides a baseline to monitor national biodiversity trends and assess the effectiveness of current conservation projects.

Conservation efforts are frequently hindered by the limited availability of species information and accurate extinction risk, so the National Red List website should provide a useful focal point for the global conservation community to share crucial species information. It is hoped that conservation planning will improve as a result.