Insights from three decades of IUCN Red List assessments catalyzing shark, ray, and chimaera conservation

Abstract

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is a critical measure of global aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity status. It is also the basis for the Red List Index, which tracks extinction risk over time. Sharks, rays, and chimaeras (Chondrichthyes) have now been comprehensively assessed twice (1996–2011 and 2012–2021) with hindcast assessments from 1970 onward, yielding an unprecedented extinction risk trajectory for an aquatic vertebrate class. The three‐decade success of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Shark Specialist Group (SSG) in providing updated and evidence‐based assessments stems from sustained and coordinated activities by SSG members. We examined how a community of dedicated experts organized to fill gaps in key information to inform Red List assessments. From this evaluation, we identified six key lessons related to membership, taxonomic changes, implementation of the precautionary approach, information prioritization, assessment standardization, and policy efforts. However, existing challenges, including resource constraints and assessment discrepancies at different spatial scales, need to be addressed to ensure Red List assessments stay on pace with advances in conservation. With the second global assessment of chondrichthyans completed, it is appropriate to reflect on the evolution of the SSG and its achievements over three decades to highlight new tools and approaches to red listing and to identify priorities for the immediate future that are also applicable to other aquatic taxa with limited data, slow life histories, and exposure to high levels of fishing.