Which organisation publishes worldwide list of endangered species?

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the organization responsible for publishing the worldwide list of endangered species, commonly known as the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species [2]. First issued in 1966 by the IUCN Species Survival Commission, this list serves as a comprehensive guide for the preservation and management of global biodiversity [3]. The IUCN categorizes species into nine distinct groups based on their extinction risk, including Extinct, Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable [2]. While other organizations like the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) collaborate on conservation treaties such as CITES, the specific global database and publication of threatened species status is the primary mandate of the IUCN [5]. The Red List is widely recognized as the most authoritative indicator of the health of the world's biodiversity [5].

Sources

1. [1] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 14: Biodiversity and Conservation > Endangered Species > p. 117
2. [2] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > cAtegorIzAtIon of specIes. > p. 11
3. [3] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 8: Biodiversity > 8.2. T}IE RED DATA BOOK > p. 147
4. [4] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > 28.6. CITES > p. 398
5. [5] https://iucn.org/resources/conservation-tool/iucn-red-list-threatened-species