This table provides information on metadata for SDG indicators as defined by the UN Statistical Commission. Complete global metadata is provided by the UN Statistics Division.
Indicator name |
Red List Index
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Target name |
Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
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Global indicator description |
Definition The Red List Index is a multi-purpose indicator which measures the aggregate change in extinction risk across groups of species. It is based on the number of species in each category of extinction risk on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This indicator is expressed as an index ranging from 0 to 1. Concepts Threatened species are those listed on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in the categories Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered (i.e., species that are facing a high, very high, or extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future). Changes over time in the proportion of species threatened with extinction are largely driven by improvements in knowledge and changing taxonomy. The IUCN Red List Index (RLI) therefore accounts for such changes to yield a more informative indicator than the simple proportion of threatened species. It measures change in aggregate extinction risk across groups of species over time, resulting from genuine improvements or deteriorations in the status of individual species. It can be calculated for any representative set of species that have been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species at least twice.
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UN designated tier |
1
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UN custodial agency |
IUCN (Partnering Agencies: UNEP; CITES)
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Link to UN metadata |
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