A five-day workshop, 14-18 October, held in Malaga started yesterday with the participation of 16 experts from 13 countries who will evaluate 300 species of marine fish, including some of commercial fishing interest as cod, hake, anchovy or scorpionfish , in order to develop the European Red List of Marine Fishes (pan-European and EU 27), according to the criteria and categories of the Red List of Threatened Species.
Members from the IUCN Species Programme- Marine Biodiversity Unit based at Old Dominion University (USA) along with experts from different European research institutions will evaluate existing information in order to determine the risk of extinction faced by 300 species under this assessment.
The Malaga workshop is part of a broad regional initiative of a comprehensive assessment of risk extinctions of more than 1200 marine species in European waters. This important conservation initiative is funded by the European Commission.
In 2011, the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation published the first comprehensive regional IUCN Red List assessment of the native marine fish species for an entire sea.
The findings of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species can help guide policy-makers make appropriate decisions to secure this important resource for the future, whilst protecting and valuing the biological diversity of the planet at the same time.
For further information please conact:
Ana Nieto, Regional Biodiversity Conservation Officer
ana.nieto@iucn.org
Related links:
- European Red List
- IUCN project - European Red List
- Overview of the conservation status of the marine fishes of the Mediterranean Sea report
