Description

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Picture Courtesy: IUCN

Context

The Government of Tuvalu has officially become the 90th State Member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

About Tuvalu

Location: Tuvalu is an island country in the west-central Pacific Ocean.
Neighbours: Its neighbours include Kiribati to the north and Fiji to the south.
Size: It is the fourth-smallest country in the world by land area, covering just 26 square kilometers.
Topography: All its islands are extremely low-lying, with no point higher than 4.5 meters above sea level, vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Population: Tuvalu has the fewest inhabitants of any independent nation after Vatican City.
Capital: The capital is Funafuti.
Economy: Based on subsistence farming and fishing, relies heavily on remittances from relatives working overseas.

Source: IUCN

Attempt Daily Quiz

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements about the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:

1. Green pages in the Red Data Book indicate species recovered from an endangered status.

2. "Near Threatened" species face future extinction if current trends persist.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A) 1 only

B) 2 only

C) Both 1 and 2

D) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: Green pages in the Red Data Book indicate species that have recovered from endangerment and are no longer threatened.

Statement 2 is correct: "Near Threatened" (NT) species on the IUCN Red List are close to qualifying for, or likely to qualify for, a threatened category soon if current trends persist. This acts as an early warning, indicating a need for conservation to prevent further decline.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world's largest environmental network, dedicated to nature conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.

The IUCN Red List is a globally recognized inventory of the conservation status of biological species. It uses quantitative criteria to assess extinction risk and categorize species into nine groups, ranging from Extinct to Least Concern.

The IUCN Green Status of Species is a framework that complements the Red List by evaluating the recovery of species populations and the effectiveness of conservation efforts. It measures recovery towards a "fully recovered" state.