Red List Index

The Red List Index (RLI) measures trends over time in the aggregate extinction risk of sets of species (further details about the RLI). The index can be disaggregated to produce RLIs for different subsets of species with different policy relevance (e.g. migratory species, marine species, etc.), or for all species showing trends driven by different factors (e.g. invasive alien species, fishing, use, etc.), or for regions or countries (for which the index shows how well species in the region or country are conserved relative to its potential to contribute to global species conservation). These RLIs are based on data from amphibians, birds, corals, cycads and mammals, where available.

Different RLIs can be explored, and the data and graphs downloaded using the filters on the left hand side. The filters are arranged to allow searching in different ways. For example: Global shows global level RLIs, including different thematic versions. National shows RLIs for different countries, including those used for reporting against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Regional/Subregional shows RLIs for different groups of countries following the regional groupings recognised by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the SDGs, and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Thematic shows RLIs for different subsets of species or for all species driven by different factors. SDGs shows the different national and regional RLIs used for SDG reporting.

Searches can be refined further by drilling into each section. Each result provides the RLI graph, and the number of species within each group that the index is based upon.

For each RLI, the data can be downloaded in CSV format, with columns for:

  • country : spatial unit (some are regions; absent in global indices)
  • group : "aggregate" in every case (i.e. combined across all taxonomic groups)
  • year : the year of the RLI calculation
  • rli : RLI value
  • qn05 : lower confidence interval
  • qn95 : upper confidence interval
  • n_sp : number of species in disaggregation (only given for thematic disaggregations)
  • n_gen_changes : number of genuine changes driving trends (only given for thematic disaggregations)