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OVERVIEW OF VIETNAM RED BOOK DATA
Translate into English by Hồng Luân
The Red List is considered a national and international document, which enlists rare species that need protection, recovery or developing. These species are those whose populations are shrinking or being under threat of extinction in every country all over the world. The list forms the scientific as well as legal foundation to propose and determine protecting and recovering methods for each species, it is also the foundation to deal with activities that damage the environment and cause detrimental impacts to the existence and thriving of species under protection in exploiting activities on biological resource in each country.
The promulgation of the Red Data Book, therefore, can guide and promote the protection of biological resource in every country. It is also the scientific document which is applicable in drafting or promulgating legal documents on protection of biological resource, biodiversity and ecosystem.
I. STANDARDS TO ASSESS THE STATES OF SPECIES IN VIETNAM RED DATA BOOK (proposed by International Union for Conservation of Nature – IUCN)
Main states of species
ENDANGERED (E): are species under the threat of going extinct or not sure that can still survive if threatening factors still exist. They are species whose populations have gone down to an alarming number in the condition of degraded habitats.
VULNERABLE (V): are species that are going to be under the threat of extinction (in the near future) if threatening factors still exist. They are species whose a majority of population has disappeared due to overexploitation, degraded habitats or other changes of the living environment. They also include species whose populations are still large but are under the threat due to their high economic values, leading to continuous hunting or exploiting.
RARE (R): are species with confined distribution (especially mono-species geneses) and small population. Although they are currently not threatened species but their long-term existence is very fragile.
Other systems of classification
Apart from above-mentioned 3 states, Vietnam’s Red Book also includes states below:
THREATENED (T): is taxon falling in 3 states mentioned above but there are not enough data to put it into a specific group.
INSUFFICIENTLY KNOWN (K): is taxon that people are not sure which groups it belong to due to the lack of information. The taxon is laid into this group for researchers to identify their exact states later.
II. STANDARDS TO ASSESS THE STATES OF SPECIES IN IUCN RED LIST (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals)
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC) established rules on states of threatened species and the categorization of them. This categorization based on data of taxonomy, population status, population trend, distribution, habitat availability, geographic trends and threats; they also based on opinions from taxonomists, IUCN experts and experts from many countries. The categorization also considers the current legal framework of countries where these threatened species are living.
In assessing the states of species, IUCN always looks into past data carefully, updates them every 2 years and publishes these data widely. IUCN also conducts studies to edit the content and principles of determining species’ states to meet new requirement. In 1994, IUCN applied some new principles to determine the states of threatened species. In 1996, system of categories supplemented with detailed information on states of species includes levels below:
1. EX Extinct: taxons that are already extinct without doubt that their last member are dead
2. EW Extinct in the wild: taxons that are considered extinct in the nature and can only be seen in captivity or taxons with one or many populations come back to natural environment outside of their earlier distribution areas.
3. CR Critically Endangered: species that are considered critically endangered when they are facing huge threat of being extinct in the wild in near future, they are identified by any criteria below (A-E):
A. The shrinking of population in any way below:
1. Reduce at least 80% according to approximate observations, speculation or prediction in the last 10 years or last 3 generations (choose the longer period) based on one of listing factors below:
(a). Direct observation
(b). Indices of abundance that are suitable to that taxon
(c). The shrinking of habitats, areas of distribution or degradation of habitat
(d). Current or possible rate of exploitation
(e). Impacts of exotic or cross-breeding taxons, diseases, pollutants, competitors or parasites
2. Reduce at least 80% according to approximate observations, speculation or prediction in the last 10 years or last 3 generations (choose the longest period) based on one of listing factors (b), (c) or (e) above
B. Area of distribution lower than 100km2, or habitat area lower than 10km2; besides, at least 1 of listed characteristics below is met:
1. Strongly isolated or only exists in 1 location
2. Continuous shrinking according to observation, speculation or prediction based on 1 of factors below:
(a). Distribution area
(b). Habitat
(c). Range or quality of living environment
(d). Number of spotting locations or number of sub-populations
(e). Number of mature individuals
3. Large fluctuation of any factor below:
(a). Distribution area
(b). Habitat
(c). Number of spotting sites or number of sub-populations
(d). Number of mature individuals
C. Population with number of mature individuals lower than 250 and has 1 of the following features:
1. Continuous shrinking 25% at minimum in the last 3 years or in the last generation (take the longer period) or:
2. Continuous shrinking according to observation, speculation, or prediction of number of mature individuals and population structures in 1 of forms below:
(a). Severely separation, i.e. there is no sub-population with more than 50 mature individuals.
(b). All individuals living in 1 sub-population only
D. Population with less than 50 mature individuals
E. Quantitative analysis shows that probability of going extinct in the nature is 50% at least in 10 years or 3 generations (choose the longer period).
4. EN – Endangered
Taxon is consider endangered when it is not extremely endangered but now facing:
(c). Range or quality of habitat
(d). Number of spotting sites or of sub-populations
(e). Number of mature individuals
1. Huge fluctuation of any factors below:
(a). Area of distribution
(b). Habitat
(c). Number of spotting locations or of sub-populations
(d). Number of mature individuals
2. Population with lower than 2500 mature individuals and owns 1 of characteristics below:
3. Continuous shrinking at least 20% in the last 5 years or 2 last generations (choose the longer period) or:
4. Continuous shrinking according to observation, speculation or prediction on number of mature individuals or population structures in 1 of following forms:
(a). Severely divided, i.e. no sub-population with more than 250 mature individuals
(b). All individuals living in 1 sub-population only
5. Population with lower than 250 mature individuals
E. Quantitative analysis shows that probability of extinction in the nature is at least 20% in the next 20 years or next 5 generations (takes the longer period)
5. VU – Vulnerable
Taxon is considered vulnerable when it is not extremely vulnerable but facing a huge threat of being extinct in the nature in the near future. It is identified by any standard below (A-E).
A. Shrinking of population in any way below:
1. Shrinking of at least 20% according to observation, speculation or estimation in the last 10 years or last 3 generations (takes the longest time) based on 1 of following ways:
(a). Direct observation
(b). Indices of abundance suitable to the taxon
(c). Shrinking of habitat, distribution area and/or living environment
(d). Current or possible rate of exploitation
(e). Impacts of exotic or cross-breeding taxons, diseases, pollutants, competitors or parasites.
2. Shrinking of at least 20% according to speculation or prediction in next 10 years or next 3 generations (choose the longer period), based on identified feature (b), (c), (d) or (e) above.
B. Distribution area less than 20,000km2, or habitat less than 2,000km2; besides, has at least 2 in following characteristics:
1. Severely separated or only exists at less than 10 sites
2. Continuous shrinking, according to observation, prediction or speculation, of 1 of following factors:
(a). Distribution area
(b). Habitat
(c). Distribution area, habitat and/or quality of living environment
(d) Number of spotting sites or of sub-population
(e) Number of mature individuals
3. Huge fluctuation of any factor below:
(a). Distribution area
(b). Habitat
(c). Number of sites or of sub-populations
(d). Number of mature individuals.
A huge risk of being extinct in the nature in the near future, identified by 1 of any criteria below (A-E).
A. Shrinking of population in any way below:
1. Shrinking of at least 50%, according to observation, estimation or speculation in the last 10 years or last 3 generations (takes the longest period), based on identified features below:
(a). Direct observation
(b). Indices of abundance suitable to the taxon
(c). Shrinking of habitat, distribution area and/or quality of living environment.
(d). Current or possible rate of exploitation
(e). Impacts of exotic or cross-breeding taxons, diseases, pollutants, competitors or parasites.
2. Shrinking of at least 50%, according to speculation or prediction in the next 10 years or next 3 generations (take the longest period), based on 1 of above-mentioned identifiable features (b), (c), (d) or (e)
B. Distribution area less than 5,000km2, or habitat less than 500km2; besides, at least 2 of following criteria are met:
1. Severely separated or only exists at less than 5 sites.
2. Continuous shrinking, according to observation, speculation or prediction, of 1 of factors below:
(a). Distribution area
(b). Habitat
C. Population with less than 10,000 mature individuals and has 1 of features below:
1. Continuous shrinking, approximately 10% in the last 10 years or last 3 generations (takes the longest period) or:
2. Continuous shrinking, according to observation, speculation or prediction of the number of mature individuals and population structure, in following ways:
(a). Severely separated, i.e. there is no sub-population with more than 1000 mature individuals
(b). All individuals are in 1 sub-population only.
D. Population is very small or shrinks in 1 of following forms:
1. Population with less than 1000 mature individuals.
2. Characterized by the shrinking of habitat (typically less than 100km2) or number of spotting sites (typicall less than 5). This taxon is vulnerable to human activities (or incidents that have impacts magnified by human activities) and reacts unexpectedly in the future, turning it to extremely endangered, endangered or even extinct in a short period of time.
E. Quantitative analysis shows that probability of extinction in the nature is at least 10% in 100 years.
6. LR – Lower risk
Taxon is considered to be at lower risk when it does not meet any criteria to be called extremely at risk, at risk or will be at risk. This category can be divided into 3 sub-categories including:
6.1. Conservation dependent (cd)
This sub-category includes taxons in a continuous conservation program specifically for them or their habitats; if this program stops, these taxons will be moved to above-mentioned categories in 5 years.
6.2 Near threatened (nt)
This sub-category includes taxons that do not depend on conservation but are very near to ‘will be at risk’.
6.3 Least concern (lc)
This sub-category includes taxons that do not depend on conservation or taxons that are not going to be threatened.
7. Data deficient (DD)
A taxon is considered ‘data deficient’ when there is not enough data for direct or indirect assessment of risk of extinction based on distribution and state of the population. Taxon in this category might be well studies and there might be large biological knowledge about it; however, there is still lack of qualified data about the the taxon’s distribution and abundance. Therefore, this taxon does not fall into any threatened nor lower risk (LR) state.
8. NE – Not evaluated
A taxon is categorized as ‘not evaluated’ when it is still not checked against any categorizing criterium
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