As of October 16, 2024, there were 76 insect species in the United States in danger of becoming extinct throughout all or a significant part of their natural range. Many animals native to the U.S. share this fate, but plants are the most affected, with 764 species on the endangered list as of October 2024.

When a species is proposed for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must consider whether there are areas of habitat believed to be essential the species conservation. Those areas may be proposed for designation as critical habitat. Critical habitat is a term defined and used in the Act. It is a specific geographic area(s) that contains features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management and protection. Critical habitat may include an area that is not currently occupied by the species but that will be needed for its recovery. An area is designated as critical habitat after the Service publishes a proposed Federal regulation in the Federal Register and receives and considers public comments on the proposal. The final boundaries of the critical habitat are also published in the Federal Register.

In 2024, more than 27,000 flowering plants were considered to be threatened species. Flowering plants, more colloquially known as flowers, are the most diverse group of land plants. They are also the largest group within the plant kingdom regarding the number of described species. Endangered and threatened Species Threatened species and organisms are those that are vulnerable to being endangered in the future. The population growth rate is one way to determine whether a species is going to become endangered. In the United States, plants were the most endangered wildlife and plant species. In Latin America, Ecuador had the highest number of threatened living species on the IUCN Red List. The International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization that works to protect the environment and its inhabitants. Founded in 1948, it is headquartered in Gland, Switzerland. The IUCN’s mission is to make sure that the entire world works to conserve the environment and nature. They also want to make sure that the natural resources that are being used are renewable sources. Their Red List is the most all-inclusive status of global conservation of the earth’s species. In 2023, they listed plants as the most threatened species worldwide.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) collects and maintains several datasets on the locations, distribution and status of species of plants and animals. Information on distribution by county from the following three databases was extracted and compiled into this dataset. First, the New York Natural Heritage Program biodiversity database: Rare animals, rare plants, and significant natural communities. Significant natural communities are rare or high-quality wetlands, forests, grasslands, ponds, streams, and other types of habitats. Next, the 2nd NYS Breeding Bird Atlas Project database: Birds documented as breeding during the atlas project from 2000-2005. And last, DEC’s NYS Reptile and Amphibian Database: Reptiles and amphibians; most records are from the NYS Amphibian & Reptile Atlas Project (Herp Atlas) from 1990-1999.

As of 2024, about ****** vertebrates, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, were on the Red List.The data include species that are threatened by extinction, animals that are critically endangered with extinction, and endangered animals. The number of endangered species increased for every major group of organisms in 2024.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides a program for the conservation of threatened and endangered species and the habitats in which they are found. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service of U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NMFS/NOAA) lead federal implementation of the ESA, though they are supported by other federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Section 7 of the ESA directs all Federal agencies to conserve endangered and threatened species and to use their authorities to ensure actions do not jeopardized the further existence of threatened and endangered species or adversely modify designated critical habitats. As part of the Section 7 coordination, federal agencies work with USFWS and NMFS to identify species found within the jurisdiction of the United that could be affected by actions carried out by the agency. Of note, the US EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is responsible for ensuring that Agency actions under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) are in compliance with ESA. OPP determines if ESA-listed species or their designated critical habitat may be affected by pesticide products. Pesticide products that “may affect” an ESA-listed species or its designated critical habitat may be subject to additional regulation. Species ranges represent anywhere an individual of the listed species could be found based on the best available information at the time of delineation. As defined in ESA, critical habitat delineates habitat characteristics in specific geographical areas and may be occupied or unoccupied by a threatened or endangered species at the time of listing. These areas must contain physical or biological features essential to conservation of a species and may require special management considerations or protection. Critical habitat may also include areas that are not currently occupied by the species but that may be needed for their recovery. Range areas represent more generalized habitat where species are or could be found based on the best available information. For some species, best available information is based on site specific surveys. For others, it will be historical _location information based on political boundaries. These areas are, therefore, less geographically explicit than critical habitat. Consideration of both the species range and critical habitat ensures the conservation of the ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened species depend. To support EPA’s implementation of ESA, critical habitat and range data for species listed under ESA Section 7 were obtained by the US EPA from the USFWS Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS) database in November 2020. These data were supplemented with areas provided by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) where NOAA has species authority. For NMFS species not found in either _location, a request was made directly to the NMFS scientists. The last download of the species locations occurred in November 2020.

The recency of large-scale land conversion in California’s San Joaquin Desert raises the probability that the region’s numerous endemic species still retain genetic signatures of historical population connectivity. If so, genomic data can serve as a guidance tool for conserving lands that once supported habitat for gene movement. We studied the genetic structuring of the endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizard Gambelia sila, a San Joaquin Desert endemic, to (1) test whether patterns of population admixture could be used to delimit former habitat corridors in the pre-converted landscape, (2) evaluate whether restriction site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) from a subset of samples can resolve structure at the same spatial scale as mtDNA and microsatellite data collected on the full sample, and (3) inform recovery efforts lacking direction from genetics. Cluster and tree-based analyses reveal a recent shared history between many populations that are now isolated, and that contemporary structure is linked to geophysical features that influence precipitation patterns and locations of former suitable habitat. Past hybridization with the sister species Gambelia wislizenii in southern San Joaquin Desert has generated a stable, but now-isolated population with different species identities for the mtDNA and nuclear genomes. The three marker types converged on similar themes, despite substantially fewer samples in the RADseq datasets; however, RADseq inferences were sensitive to dataset assembly filters that account for sequencing error, particularly cluster assignments. We suggest ways in which these data can be used to improve recovery efforts for G. sila and offer guidelines for RADseq dataset assembly in studies of intraspecific population structure.

Madagascar was the country with the most threatened living species in the world, with over 3,900 species under threat of extinction as of 2024. Five out of the top 10 countries with the largest number of threatened species were in America, with Ecuador ranking second on the list. Altogether, of the 2,762 threatened species in Ecuador, about three-quarters were plants. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) threatened living species include all those that are either critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable to being endangered in the future. Which living species are more susceptible to extinction? Not only in Ecuador are plants the most vulnerable group to extinction, but also in many other countries across the globe. As of 2024, nearly 60 percent of the world’s living species threatened with extinction were plants, with flowering plants accounting for the largest share. The loss of plant biodiversity is a concerning issue, as it may impact the search for new food crops that are resilient to climate change or the search for new medicines. Fishes followed, representing over eight percent of the threatened living species globally. In particular, insects accounted for a five percent share. Insects are the group with the largest number of organisms discovered up to date. Why do living species become endangered? While extinction occurs naturally, the current rate at which species become extinct is higher than the natural historical rate. Habitat loss is the main driver of extinction, but there are other reasons behind it, such as over-exploitation of wildlife for commercial purposes or the introduction of harmful non-native species. Climate change also plays a big role, and if global warming is not limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the share of species at high risk of extinction could increase up to nearly 30 percent.

These data were collected from a survey regarding attitudes about acceptable risk as they relate to the biodiversity crisis and a selection of possible predictors for these attitudes. These data were collected in August of 2018.

These data document the summary of species, by taxonomic group, listed as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service from 1 July 1976 to 30 September 2019 for the United States. Data were compiled from two sources: the Endangered Species Bulletins and the Environmental Conservation Online system (ECOS), http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/reports/box-score-report.To create a temporal data set of species listed as threatened or endangered, by taxonomic group. The data are provided because the Fish & Wildlife Service does not provide temporal counts of threatened and endangered species, only counts of single points in time.

Critical Habitat for Threatened and Endangered SpeciesThis National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) dataset, shared as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) feature layer, displays proposed and designated critical habitat under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. According to the FWS, "When the Fish and Wildlife Service proposes a species for listing under the Endangered Species Act, we are required to consider whether there are geographic areas that contain essential features on areas that are essential to conserve the species. If so, we may propose designating these areas as critical habitat."Canada Lynx and Atlantic SalmonData currency: current federal service (USFWS Critical Habitat)NGDAID: 3 (FWS Critical Habitat for Threatened and Endangered Species Dataset)OGC API Features Link: Not AvailableFor more information:Critical HabitatUSFWS Threatened & Endangered Species Active Critical Habitat ReportFor feedback, please contact: Esri_US_Federal_Data@esri.comNGDA Data SetThis data set is part of the NGDA Biodiversity and Ecosystems Theme Community. Per the Federal Geospatial Data Committee (FGDC), Biodiversity and Ecosystems is defined as pertaining to, or describing, "the dynamic processes, interactions, distributions, and relationships between and among organisms and their environments".For other NGDA Content: Esri Federal Datasets

Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) data characterize the marine and coastal environments and wildlife based on sensitivity to spilled oil. Coastal species that are listed as threatened, endangered, or as a species of concern, by either federal or state governments, are a primary focus. A subset of the ESI data, the ESI Threatened and Endangered Species (T&E) databases focus strictly on these species. Species are mapped individually. In addition to showing spatial extent, each species polygon, point, or line has attributes describing abundance, seasonality, threatened/endangered status, and life history. Both the state and federal status is provided, along with the year the ESI data were published. This is important, as the status of a species can vary over time. As always, the ESI data are a snapshot in time. The biology layers focus on threatened/endangered status, areas of high concentration, and areas where sensitive life stages may occur. Supporting data tables provide species-/location-specific abundance, seasonality, status, life history, and source information. Human-use resources mapped include managed areas (parks, refuges, critical habitats, etc.) and resources that may be impacted by oiling and/or cleanup, such as beaches, archaeological sites, marinas, etc. ESIs are available for the majority of the US coastline, as well as the US territories. ESI data are available as PDF maps, as well as in a variety of GIS formats. For more information, go to http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi . To download complete ESI data sets, go to http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi_download .

Tennessee Natural Heritage Program Element Occurrence Data Shapefile for Partner Agencies The Tennessee Natural Heritage Program, in collaboration with Natureserve and its other member Natural Heritage Programs and Conservation Data Centres, maintains a database of rare and imperiled species and plant communities for the state of Tennessee. The Element Occurrence (EO) records that form the core of the Tennessee Natural Heritage database include information on the location, status, characteristics, numbers, condition, and distribution of elements of biological diversity using established Natural Heritage Methodology developed by NatureServe and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). An Element Occurrence (EO) is an area of land and/or water in which a species or natural community is, or was, present. An EO should have practical conservation value for the Element as evidenced by potential continued (or historical) presence and/or regular recurrence at a given location. For species Elements, the EO often corresponds with the local population, but when appropriate may be a portion of a population or a group of nearby populations (e.g., metapopulation). For community Elements, the EO may represent a stand or patch of a natural community, or a cluster of stands or patches of a natural community. Because they are defined on the basis of biological information, EOs may cross jurisdictional boundaries. An Element Occurrence record is a data management tool that has both spatial and tabular components including a mappable feature and its supporting database. EOs are typically represented by bounded, mapped areas of land and/or water or, at small scales, the centroid point of this area. EO records are most commonly created for current or historically known occurrences of natural communities or native species of conservation interest. They may also be created, in some cases, for extirpated occurrences.

Meet Sinlan (Sheila) Poo who works with amphibians at the Memphis Zoo. Learn about Sinlan's research in applied conservation and how they use biodiversity data to study endangered species.

Global change causes community composition to change considerably through time, with ever-new combinations of interacting species. To study the consequences of newly established species interactions, one available source of data could be observational surveys from biodiversity monitoring. However, approaches using observational data would need to account for niche differences between species and for imperfect detection of individuals. To estimate population sizes of interacting species, we extended N-mixture models that were developed to estimate true population sizes in single species. Simulations revealed that our model is able to disentangle direct effects of dominant on subordinate species from indirect effects of dominant species on detection probability of subordinate species. For illustration, we applied our model to data from a Swiss amphibian monitoring program and showed that sizes of expanding water frog populations were negatively related to population sizes of endangered yellow-bellied toads and common midwife toads and partly of natterjack toads. Unlike other studies that analyzed presence and absence of species, our model suggests that the spread of water frogs in Central Europe is one of the reasons for the decline of endangered toad species. Thus, studying population impacts of dominant species on population sizes of endangered species using data from biodiversity monitoring programs should help to inform conservation policy and to decide whether competing species should be subject to population management.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides a program for the conservation of threatened and endangered species and the habitats in which they are found. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service of U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NMFS/NOAA) lead federal implementation of the ESA, though they are supported by other federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Section 7 of the ESA directs all Federal agencies to conserve endangered and threatened species and to use their authorities to ensure actions do not jeopardized the further existence of threatened and endangered species or adversely modify designated critical habitats. As part of the Section 7 coordination, federal agencies work with USFWS and NMFS to identify species found within the jurisdiction of the United that could be affected by actions carried out by the agency. Of note, the US EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is responsible for ensuring that Agency actions under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) are in compliance with ESA. OPP determines if ESA-listed species or their designated critical habitat may be affected by pesticide products. Pesticide products that “may affect” an ESA-listed species or its designated critical habitat may be subject to additional regulation. Species ranges represent anywhere an individual of the listed species could be found based on the best available information at the time of delineation. As defined in ESA, critical habitat delineates habitat characteristics in specific geographical areas and may be occupied or unoccupied by a threatened or endangered species at the time of listing. These areas must contain physical or biological features essential to conservation of a species and may require special management considerations or protection. Critical habitat may also include areas that are not currently occupied by the species but that may be needed for their recovery. Range areas represent more generalized habitat where species are or could be found based on the best available information. For some species, best available information is based on site specific surveys. For others, it will be historical location information based on political boundaries. These areas are, therefore, less geographically explicit than critical habitat. Consideration of both the species range and critical habitat ensures the conservation of the ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened species depend. To support EPA’s implementation of ESA, critical habitat and range data for species listed under ESA Section 7 were obtained by the US EPA from the USFWS Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS) database in November 2020. These data were supplemented with areas provided by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) where NOAA has species authority. For NMFS species not found in either location, a request was made directly to the NMFS scientists. The last download of the species locations occurred in November 2020.

Red Data Book is a book describing information on endangered wildlife, including species names, ecology, distribution, current status, and factors of population decline. In 2023, Toba City published a Red Data Book listing 429 endangered marine species inhabiting the coastal and estuarine areas around Toba City. The book describes the endangered categories of the listed species according to the degree of threat of extinction and the causes of population decline. In addition to the scientific information, the book includes many pictures of underwater surveys and seascapes, history and culture between local people and the sea, and sea-related folklore in the Toba area as column articles of the book. Unique feature of the Toba Red Data Book is that it specializes in marine organisms including algae or off-shore specie, and evaluate the vulnerability of marine species at the prefectural level. This dataset contains background data collected to evaluate vulnerability of the species in the Toba Red Data Book, and the data were quality controlled and transformed to comply with the Darwin Core, OBIS Schema.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Endangered Species Media Project

The purpose of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) administer the ESA. Under the ESA, species may be listed as either endangered or threatened. "Endangered" means a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. "Threatened" means a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. All species of plants and animals, except pest insects, are eligible for listing as endangered or threatened. For the purposes of the ESA, Congress defined species to include subspecies, varieties, and, for vertebrates, distinct population segments. As of March 2011, the FWS had listed 1,967 species worldwide as endangered or threatened, 1,372 of which occur in the United States. Decisions made under the ESA are based on the best scientific information available. Source: https://www.fws.gov/le/USStatutes/ESA.pdf Date enacted: December 28, 1973 Codification: 16 U.S.C. Sec. 1531 et seq. Authority: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Threatened Species of National Environmental Significance

This dataset contains information about species of national environmental significance as listed in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Data provided includes:
- species names and threatened status
- indicative occurrence within each state, territory and marine area
- links to further information in the Species Profile and Threats Database (SPRAT).

The dataset is updated as the lists of species on schedules of the EPBC Act are amended. There is one row entry for each listed species. Links to other species information sourced from SPRAT can be made using the field containing the listed taxon identification number (ListedId).

A description of the fields and methods used to create the data can be found in the explanatory notes resource.

More about threatened species

Ecological Communities of National Environmental Significance (Threatened Ecological Communities)

This dataset contains information about ecological communities of national environmental significance as listed in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Data provided includes:
- ecological community name and threatened status
- indicative occurrence within each state and territory
- links to further information in the Species Profile and Threats Database (SPRAT).

The dataset is updated as the lists of ecological communities on schedules of the EPBC Act are amended. There is one row entry for each listed ecological community. Links to other ecological community information sourced from SPRAT can be made using the field containing the listed community identification number (ECId).

A description of the fields and methods used to create the data can be found in the explanatory notes resource.

More about ecological communities

Credit:
Department of the Environment (2015). Species Profile and Threats Database, Department of the Environment, Canberra.