The threatened species categories used in Red Data Books and Red Lists have been in place for almost 30 years. The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria provide an easily and widely understood system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction, so as to focus attention on conservation measures designed to protect them. This latest version of the classification system was adopted by the IUCN Council in February 2001 and reflects comments from the IUCN and SSC memberships and the final meeting of the Criteria Review Working Group.

NOTE: This publication can also be viewed on the IUCN Red List website. They also offer versions in a number of languages, including Spanish. 

Se pretende que las Categorías y Criterios de la Lista Roja de la UICN constituyan un sistema de fácil comprensión para clasificar especies de alto riesgo de extinción global. El fin general de este sistema es proporcionar un marco explícito y objetivo para la clasificación del espectro más amplio posible de especies según su riesgo de extinción. Descargar como PDF.