Analyzing National Red List data of East Asia

Abstract

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List aims to assess global species distribution rather than specific regional or national distribution units. Most conservation activities are carried out on a national or regional basis; therefore, the demand for a national Red List is very high. This study analyzed the current status of the National Red List of six East Asian countries at a national level. A total of 12,462 taxa were evaluated in the Red List of six East Asian countries, in which China and Taiwan had the highest percentage of evaluated taxa, with more than 99% of native plants assessed in the country. In the threat category of the evaluated list, Japan received the highest rating at 82.8%, whereas China and South Korea received the lowest ratings at 10.9%. More than 85% of the taxa assessed on the Red List in six countries were not assessed on the IUCN Red List, and less than 10% were assessed redundantly in threat categories. The reason for the different evaluations of these two Red Lists is considered to be the setting of the distribution range. It is expected that the present study will serve as a foundation for future research.