Question

The …….. maintains Red Data Book
A) IUCN
B) MAB
C) WHO
D) None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: WCU is the World Conservation Union which was formerly known as IUCN (=IUCNNR) or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Its headquarters are at Morges, Switzerland. It studies the threat to biodiversity in all parts of the world by gathering information about the geographical distribution, population size and population changes of various taxa.

Complete answer:
Red list is a catalogue of species and subspecies facing various degrees of extinction risk by using a set of criteria relevant to all species all over the world. Red List was first published in 1963. The latest is in 2004. The various aims of preparing a red list are:
1. To provide information and develop awareness about the importance of threatened species.
2. Identification and documentation of endangered species.
3. Preparation of global index of decline of biodiversity.
4. Imparting information about the urgency and scale of conservation problems to the public and policy makers.
5. Preparing conservation priorities at local levels, guiding conservation and restoration work.
6. Giving information about various international agreements related to biodiversity like the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
WCU or IUCN has recognized eight categories of species in the Red List. They are Extinct, Extinct in the wild, Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, Lower risk, Data deficient and not evaluated. Critically endangered species are those species which are at an extremely high risk of imminent extinction in the wild, e.g., Sus salvanius (Pygmy Hog). Endangered species are the ones which have a high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future e.g. Ailurus fulgens (Red Panda), Wild Ass, Indri indri (from Madagascar). Vulnerable species are the ones which are undergoing depletion and are likely to face risk of extinction in the wild in the medium term future, e.g., Felis bengalensis (Leopard Cat), Presbytis geeri (Golden Langur). All these three categories of species are called threatened species. Threatened species are those species which are likely to become extinct if they are not provided with proper habitat, food or protection which shall make them realize their full biotic potential.

IUCN prepares the Red Data Book. So, the correct answer is option A.

Note:
While the red list recognizes only three categories (vulnerable, endangered and very endangered) as threatened, most ecologists also include rare species amongst them. A rare species is the one which has a small population either localized in a small geographical area or thinly scattered over a more extensive area which is neither vulnerable nor endangered but is at a risk from predators, habitat destruction or environmental change, eg., Bos mutus (Wild Yak), Felis silvestris (Indian Desert Cat).