The goal of Red lists - at the global, national, or regional level - is to illustrate the current threat situation of species; therefore, they have to be updated regularly. They are an indispensable tool for anybody working in nature conservation and, in the form of additions to laws, they represent an important support for public authorities in the decision-making process.
The national Red List of the Swiss vascular plants was revised according to the guidelines of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and replaces the 2002 edition. Out of 2613 evaluated species and subspecies (taxa), 725 (28 %) are threatened (categories CR, EN, VU) or extinct (category EX/RE/CR(PE)), and an additional 415 (16 %) are near threatened (category NT). Compared to the evaluation published 14 years ago, the percentage of threatened taxa in the new evaluation is lower, but the Red List Index is lower as well. The decrease in the index is due to a higher number of extinct species and to many more near-threatened species. About 20 % of all taxa underwent a change in category. Among the habitats with the highest rates of threatened taxa are water ecosystems, banks and shores, dry grasslands, fields, and vineyards.
Abbreviations:
EX – Extinct = No known individuals remaining.
RE – Regionally extinct
CR(PE) – Possibly extinct.
CR - Critically endangered = Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
EN - Endangered = High risk of extinction in the wild.
VU - Vulnerable = High risk of endangerment in the wild.
NT - Near threatened = Likely to become endangered in the near future.
Red list index for all species and for species subsets from different habitats. Arrow direction indicates whether the situation has worsened (downward) or improved (upward).
Info Flora has classified the risk of exctinction of all species in the 6 biogeographic regions of Switzerland on behalf of the FOEN and the cantons. The basis was the analysis of the existing data and the experience of more than 40 designated field botanists.
In about 25% of cases, species are more at risk in a region than at national level. Conservationists can now give more weight to these species.