Near Threatened is a conservation status

Conservation status

The conservation status of a group of organisms indicates whether the group is still extant and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future...

 assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened

Threatened species

Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...

 with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status. As such the IUCN notes the importance of re-evaluating Near Threatened taxa often or at appropriate intervals.

The rationale used for Near Threatened taxa usually includes the criteria of Vulnerable

Vulnerable species

On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...

 which are plausible or nearly met, such as reduction in numbers or range. Near Threatened species evaluated from 2001 onwards may also be ones which are dependent on conservation efforts to prevent their becoming threatened, whereas prior to this Conservation Dependent

Conservation Dependent

Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction...

 species were given a separate category.

Additionally the 402 Conservation Dependent

Conservation Dependent

Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction...

 taxa may also be considered Near Threatened.

IUCN Categories and Criteria version 2.3

Prior to 2001 the IUCN used the version 2.3 Categories and Criteria, which included a separate category for Conservation Dependent

Conservation Dependent

Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction...

 species (LR/cd). With this category system Near Threatened and Conservation Dependent were both subcategories of the category "Lower Risk". Taxa which were last evaluated prior to 2001 may retain their LR/cd or LR/nt status, although had the category been assigned with the same information today the species would be designated simply "Near Threatened (NT)" in either case.

See also

• IUCN Red List near threatened species
  IUCN Red List near threatened species
  On 12 March 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3829 near threatened species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
  
   for a list ordered by taxonomic rank
• :Category:IUCN Red List near threatened species for an alphabetical list

External links

• List of Near Threatened species as identified by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species