Mongolia Updates IUCN Red List Assessments After 20 Years
Environment
Ulaanbaatar, February 16, 2026 /MONTSAME/. Mongolia has updated the IUCN Red List assessments of its fauna for the first time in more than 20 years, publishing revised conservation status classifications for mammals, fish, reptiles, and amphibians.
The Red List of Threatened Species, issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is a globally recognized scientific assessment with more than 60 years of history. It evaluates the extinction risk of rare and endangered animal and plant species and serves as a key tool for identifying priority conservation policies and measures.
In Mongolia, the distribution, conservation status, and threat factors affecting 689 species of vertebrates — including mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians — were assessed under Red List criteria between 2006 and 2011, and conservation action plans were subsequently developed and implemented. In the latest update, 253 species of fish, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles have been reassessed.
The new
assessment is considered significant as 15–20 years have passed since the
previous evaluation, amendments have been made to Red List criteria, and
notable changes have occurred in species population trends and threat levels,
necessitating a comprehensive reassessment.
The work was supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and involved more than 50 scientists, researchers, and university faculty members.
