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Vulnerable

IUCN species status
Also known as: VU

Quick Summary

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies species facing an extremely high risk of extinction as "Vulnerable" (VU). This designation is part of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, a system used to assess the conservation status of plants, animals, and other organisms.12

A species is considered Vulnerable if it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild due to rapid population declines of 30 to over 50 percent within 10 years or three generations, a population size of fewer than 1,000 individuals, or other significant factors. Human activities, including habitat loss, pollution, overexploitation, and the introduction of invasive species, are the primary drivers of species endangerment.213

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