Media Advisory: Texas A&M University key part of global effort aimed at saving Earth’s endangered species

WHAT: Texas A&M University is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List Partnership. The partnership provides general oversight and guidance to the Red List, a process which lists the world’s endangered species. Ten entities worldwide take part in the effort, and Texas A&M is the only American university involved.
The group is currently working toward making the Red List into a Barometer of Life that would create a more thorough picture of each of the more than 61,900 species now on the Red List and those to be added in the future.

Dr. Thomas E. Lacher Jr., a professor in Texas A&M’s wildlife and fisheries sciences department at College Station, said no new Texas species were added and no changes in status of the Texas species already on the list have occurred since the last assessment in January.
In a release from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Lacher was quoted as saying: “Each update of the IUCN Red List brings both encouraging and discouraging news. First, it demonstrates that concentrated conservation actions, backed by solid natural and social science and local engagement, will result in successful efforts to conserve threatened species. However, it also demonstrates that there is much still to accomplish, with worsening conditions for many species, including those only recently described.”

WHEN: The International Union for Conservation of Nature released their latest Red List findings on Nov. 10.

WHO: The International Union for Conservation of Nature is headquartered in Gland, Switzerland, and Texas A&M is a major collaborator in this global conservation effort, Lacher said.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s purpose is to find solutions to environmental and developmental challenges by supporting scientific research that brings governments and other entities together to develop policy, laws and best practices.

The eight other partners aside from the IUCN and Texas A&M that collaborate on the Red List  are: BirdLife International, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Conservation International, NatureServe, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Sapienza Universita di Roma, Wildscreen and the Zoological Society of London.

HOW: To download the entire International Union for Conservation of Nature news release that contains links to the list of threatened species along with downloadable images, video B-roll and much more, go to: http://iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/?8548/Another-leap-towards-the-Barometer-of-Life

FOR MORE INFORMATION:  Lacher is available for comment at 979-255-6131 or tlacher@tamu.edu .
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