The Red List of Threatened Species (or conservation assessment) is an objective methodology to assess the conservation status of different taxonomic groups. Guidelines for the production of Red Lists at the regional level, applying consistent categories and criteria, have been developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), and are adopted in Ireland. The National Biodiversity Data Centre has also published a standard approach for the production of Red Lists in Ireland: Ireland’s Red Lists – a national standard.
Red Lists are published on an irregular basis as datasets and the necessary national expertise for taxonomic groups become available. Red Lists are prepared and published for the island of Ireland, under the guidance of National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in the Republic and Northern Ireland Environment Agency in Northern Ireland. Details of the Red Lists programme and the published Red Lists are available for download from the website of National Parks and Wildlife Service.
