The world's 100 most threatened species

**The world's 100 most threatened species** was chosen by over 8,000 scientists from the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC), and the Zoological Society of London. The report was published by the Zoological Society of London in 2012 as the book, _Priceless or Worthless?_

The species are threatened with extinction, and they have no obvious benefit for humans. This was deliberate, to avoid "vested interests". Iconic and charismatic species, such as tigers and pandas, and economically important species, have many defenders. These apparently "worthless" species had none. The title of the report, "Priceless or Worthless?", is based on that shared quality of the species. The report's co-author, Ellen Butcher, stated one of the guiding principles of the list, "If we take immediate action we can give them a fighting chance for survival. But this requires society to support the moral and ethical position that all species have an inherent right to exist".

Scientists are finding they have to justify funding for protection by showing what the human benefits would be. Jonathan Baillie, of the Zoological Society of London, said "The donor community and conservation movement are increasingly leaning towards a 'what can nature do for us?' approach, where species and wild habitats are valued and prioritised according to these services they provided for people. This has made it increasingly difficult for conservationists to protect the most threatened species on the planet".

Some of the threatened species are down to only a handful of surviving members. Santa Catarina’s guinea pig, native to a single island in Brazil, is down to its last 40–60 individuals, reduced by hunting and habitat disturbance. The Great Indian bustard is threatened by habitat loss resulting from agriculture and human development, and is down to the last 50–250 individuals. _Elaeocarpus bojeri_, a flowering plant found only on the island of Mauritius, has fewer than 10 surviving individuals, because of loss of habitat. The Baishan fir (_Abies beshanzuensis_), native to China, is down to five surviving mature individuals. _Priceless or Worthless?_ describes the threats that each species is facing, and measures that would help their survival.

## Species list

|Species|Common name|Type|scope=col class="unsortable"|Image|Location(s)|scope=col class="unsortable"|Estimated population|scope=col width="250" class="unsortable"|Threats|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|_Abies beshanzuensis_|Baishan Fir|Plant (tree)||align="center"|Baishanzu Mountain, Zhejiang, China|align="center"|Five mature individuals|* agriculture * fire||
|_Actinote zikani_||Insect (butterfly)||align="center"|Near São Paulo, Atlantic forest, Brazil|align="center"|Unknown|* habitat loss from human expansion||
|_Aipysurus foliosquama_|Leaf scaled sea-snake|Reptile||align="center"|Ashmore Reef and Hibernia Reef, Timor Sea|align="center"|Unknown|* unknown—probably degradation of coral reef habitat||
|_Amanipodagrion gilliesi_|Amani flatwing|Insect (damselfly)||align="center"|Amani-Sigi Forest, Usamabara Mountains, Tanzania|align="center"|< 500 individuals|* population pressure and water pollution||
|_Antilophia bokermanni_|Araripe manakin|Bird||align="center"|Chapado do Araripe, South Ceará, Brazil|align="center"|779 individuals|* growth of agriculture * recreational facilities * water diversion||
|_Antisolabis seychellensis_|(earwig)|Insect||align="center"|Morne Blanc, Mahé island, Seychelles|align="center"|Unknown|* invasive species * climate change||
|_Aphanius transgrediens_|Aci Göl toothcarp|Fish||align="center"|south-eastern shore of former Lake Aci, Turkey|align="center"|few hundred pairs|* competition and predation by _Gambusia_ * road construction||
|_Aproteles bulmerae_|Bulmer’s fruit bat|Mammal (bat)||align="center"|Luplupwintern Cave, Western Province, Papua New Guinea|align="center"|approx. 150|* hunting * cave disturbance||
|_Ardea insignis_|White bellied heron|Bird||align="center"|Bhutan, North East India and Myanmar|align="center"|70–400 individuals|* hydropower development||
|_Ardeotis nigriceps_|Great Indian bustard|Bird||align="center"|Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashta, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya, India|align="center"|50–249 mature individuals|* agricultural development||
|_Astrochelys yniphora_|Ploughshare tortoise Angonoka|Reptile (tortoise)||align="center"|Baly Bay region, northwestern Madagascar|align="center"|440–770|* illegal collection for international pet trade||
|_Atelopus balios_|Rio Pescado stubfoot toad|Amphibian (toad)||align="center"|Azuay, Cañar and Guyas provinces, south-western Ecuador|align="center"|Unknown|* Chytridiomycosis * logging * agricultural expansion||
|_Aythya innotata_|Madagascar pochard|Bird||align="center"|volcanic lakes north of Bealanana, Madagascar|align="center"|approx. 80 mature individuals|* agriculture * hunting and fishing * introduced fish||
|_Azurina eupalama_|Galapagos damsel fish|Fish||align="center"|Unknown|align="center"|Unknown|* climate Change * oceanographic changes related to the 1982/1983 El Nino||
|_Bahaba taipingensis_|Giant yellow croaker|Fish||align="center"|Chinese coast from Yangtze River, China to Hong Kong|align="center"|Unknown|* over-fishing due to value of swim-bladder in traditional medicine||
|_Batagur baska_|Common batagur Four-toed terrapin|Reptile (turtle)||align="center"|Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia and Malaysia|align="center"|Unknown|* illegal export China||
|_Bazzania bhutanica_|(liverwort)|Plant||align="center"|Budini and Lafeti Khola, Bhutan|align="center"|two populations|* forest clearance * overgrazing * development||
|_Beatragus hunteri_|Hirola (antelope)|Mammal||align="center"|South-east Kenya and possibly south-west Somalia|align="center"|< 1,000 individuals|* habitat loss * competition with livestock * poaching||
|_Bombus franklini_|Franklin’s bumblebee|Insect (bee)||align="center"|Oregon and California|align="center"|Unknown|* disease from commercial bumblebees * habitat destruction and degradation||
|_Brachyteles hypoxanthus_|Northern muriqui woolly spider monkey|Mammal (primate)||align="center"|Atlantic forest, south-eastern Brazil|align="center"|< 1,000|* large-scale deforestation and logging||
|_Bradypus pygmaeus_|Pygmy three-toed sloth|Mammal||align="center"|Isla Escudo de Veraguas, Panama|align="center"|< 500|* illegal logging of mangrove forests for firewood and construction * hunting||
|_Callitriche pulchra_|(water-starwort)|Plant (freshwater)||align="center"|pool on Gavdos, Greece|align="center"|Unknown|* habitat exploitation by livestock * modification of the pool by locals||
|_Calumma tarzan_|Tarzan’s chameleon|Reptile||align="center"|Anosibe An’Ala region, eastern Madagascar|align="center"|< 100|* agriculture||
|_Cavia intermedia_|Santa Catarina’s guinea pig|Mammal (rodent)||align="center"|Moleques do Sul Island, Santa Catarina, Brazil|align="center"|40–60|* habitat disturbance * possible hunting * result of having such a small population||
|_Cercopithecus roloway_|Roloway guenon (monkey)|Mammal (primate)||align="center"|Côte d'Ivoire|align="center"|Unknown|* hunting * habitat loss||
|_Coleura seychellensis_|Seychelles sheath-tailed bat|Mammal (bat)||align="center"|Two small caves on Silhouette and Mahé, Seychelles|align="center"|< 100|* habitat degradation * predation by invasive species||
|_Cryptomyces maximus_|Willow blister|Fungi||align="center"|Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom|align="center"|Unknown|* limited habitat||
|_Cryptotis nelsoni_|Nelson’s small-eared shrew|Mammal (shrew)||align="center"|Volcán San Martín Tuxtla, Veracruz, Mexico|align="center"|Unknown|* logging * cattle grazing * fire * agriculture||
|_Cyclura collei_|Jamaican iguana Jamaican rock iguana|Reptile||align="center"|Hellshire Hills, Jamaica|align="center"|Unknown|* habitat destruction * predation by introduced species||
|_Dendrophylax fawcettii_|Cayman Islands ghost orchid|Plant (orchid)||align="center"|Ironwood Forest, George Town, Grand Cayman|align="center"|Unknown|* infrastructure development||
|_Dicerorhinus sumatrensis_|Sumatran rhino|Mammal (rhino)||align="center"|Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, Kalimantan and Sumatra, Indonesia|align="center"|< 250|* hunting (horn is used in traditional medicine)||
|_Diomedea amsterdamensis_|Amsterdam albatross|Bird||align="center"|Breeds on Plateuau des Tourbières, Amsterdam Island, Indian Ocean.|align="center"|100 mature individuals|* disease * incidental by-catch in long-line fishing||
|_Dioscorea strydomiana_|Wild yam|Plant||align="center"|Oshoek area, Mpumalanga, South Africa|align="center"|200|* collection for medicinal use||
|_Diospyros katendei_||Plant (tree)||align="center"|Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve, Uganda|align="center"|20 individuals in a single population|* agricultural activity * illegal tree felling * alluvial gold digging * small population||
|_Dipterocarpus lamellatus_||Plant (tree)||align="center"|Siangau Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia|align="center"|12 individuals|* logging of lowland forest * creation of industrial plantations||
|_Discoglossus nigriventer_|Hula painted frog|Amphibian (frog)||align="center"|Hula Valley, Israel|align="center"|Unknown|* predation by birds * range restriction due to habitat destruction||
|_Dombeya mauritania_||Plant||align="center"|Mauritius|align="center"|Unknown|* encroachment by invasive plant species * habitat loss due to cannabis cultivation||
|_Elaeocarpus bojeri_||Plant (tree)||align="center"|Grand Bassin, Mauritius|align="center"|< 10 individuals|* habitat degradation||
|_Eleutherodactylus glandulifer_|La Hotte glanded frog|Amphibian (frog)||align="center"|Massif de la Hotte, Haiti|align="center"|Unknown|* charcoal production * slash-and-burn agriculture||
|_Eleutherodactylus thorcetes_|Macaya breast-spot frog|Amphibian (frog)||align="center"|Formon and Macaya peaks, Masif de la Hotte, Haiti|align="center"|Unknown|* charcoal production * slash-and-burn agriculture||
|_Eriosyce chilensis_|Chilenito (cactus)|Plant||align="center"|Pta Molles and Pichidungui, Chile|align="center"|< 500 individuals|* collection of flowering plants||
|_Erythrina schliebenii_|Coral tree|Plant (tree)||align="center"|Namatimbili-Ngarama Forest, Tanzania|align="center"|< 50 individuals|* limited habitat and small population size increase vulnerability||
|_Euphorbia tanaensis_||Plant (tree)||align="center"|Witu Forest Reserve, Kenya|align="center"|4 mature individuals|* illegal logging * agricultural expansion * infrastructure development||
|_Eurynorhyncus pygmeus_|Spoon-billed sandpiper|Bird||align="center"|Breeds in Russia, migrates along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway to wintering grounds in Bangladesh and Myanmar|align="center"|100 breeding pairs|* trapping * land reclamation||
|_Ficus katendei_||Plant||align="center"|Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve, Ishasha River, Uganda|align="center"|< 50 mature individuals|* agriculture * illegal tree felling * alluvial gold digging||
|_Geronticus eremita_|Northern bald ibis|Bird||align="center"|Breeds in Morocco, Turkey and Syria. Syrian population winters in central Ethiopia.|align="center"|200–249 mature individuals|* habitat degradation and destruction * hunting||
|_Gigasiphon macrosiphon_|(flowering plant in legume family)|Plant||align="center"|Kaya Muhaka, Gongoni and Mrima Forest Reserves, Kenya, Amani Nature Reserve, West Kilombero Scarp Forest Reserve, and Kihansi Gorge, Tanzania|align="center"|33|* timber extraction * agriculture encroachment and development * predation by wild pigs||
|_Gocea ohridana_|(type of gastropod)|Mollusc||align="center"|Lake Ohrid, Macedonia|align="center"|Unknown|* increasing pollution levels * off-take of water * sedimentation events||
|_Heleophryne rosei_|Table mountain ghost frog|Amphibian (frog)||align="center"|Table Mountain, Western Cape Province, South Africa|align="center"|Unknown|* invasive plants * water abstraction||
|_Hemicycla paeteliana_|(type of land snail)|Mollusc||align="center"|Jandia peninsula, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands|align="center"|Unknown|* overgrazing * trampling by goats and tourists||
|_Heteromirafa sidamoensis_|Liben lark|Bird||align="center"|Liben Plains, southern Ethiopia|align="center"|90–256|* agricultural expansion * overgrazing * fire suppression||
|_Hibiscadelphus woodii_||Plant (small tree)||align="center"|Kalalau Valley, Hawaii|align="center"|Unknown|* habitat degradation due to feral ungulates * competition with invasive plant species||
|_Hucho perryi_|Sakhalin taimen|Fish||align="center"|Russian and Japanese rivers, Pacific Ocean between Russia and Japan|align="center"|Unknown|* overfishing (sport fishing and commercial bycatch) * damming * agriculture * other land use||
|_Johora singaporensis_|Singapore freshwater crab|Crustacean||align="center"|Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and streamlet near Bukit Batok, Singapore|align="center"|Unknown|* habitat degradation due to reduction in water quality and quantity||
|_Lathyrus belinensis_|Belin vetchling (flowering plant related to _Lathyrus odoratus_ - sweet pea)|Plant||align="center"|Outskirts of Belin village, Antalya, Turkey|align="center"|< 1,000|* urbanisation * over-grazing * conifer planting * road widening||
|_Leiopelma archeyi_|Archey’s frog|Amphibian (frog)||align="center"|Coromandel peninsula and Whareorino Forest, New Zealand|align="center"|Unknown|* Chytridiomycosis * predation by invasive species||
|_Lithobates sevosus_|Dusky gopher frog|Amphibian (frog)||align="center"|Harrison County, Mississippi, USA|align="center"|60–100|* fungal disease * climate change * land-use changes||
|_Lophura edwardsi_|Edwards’s pheasant|Bird||align="center"|Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue, Viet Nam|align="center"|Unknown|* habitat loss * hunting||
|_Magnolia wolfii_|(type of _Magnolia_ tree)|Plant||align="center"|Risaralda, Colombia|align="center"|< 5|* isolation of species * low regeneration rates||
|_Margaritifera marocana_|(type of freshwater mussel)|Mollusc||align="center"|Oued Denna, Oued Abid and Oued Beth, Morocco|align="center"|< 250|* pollution * development||
|_Moominia willii_|(snail)|Mollusc||align="center"|Silhouette Island, Seychelles|align="center"|< 500|* invasive species * climate change||
|_Natalus primus_|Cuban greater funnel eared bat|Mammal (bat)||align="center"|Cueva La Barca, Isle of Pines, Cuba|align="center"|< 100|* habitat loss * human disturbance||
|_Nepenthes attenboroughii_|Attenborough’s pitcher plant|Plant||align="center"|Mount Victoria, Palawan, Philippines|align="center"|Unknown|* poaching||
|_Nomascus hainanus_|Hainan gibbon|Mammal (primate)||align="center"|Hainan Island, China|align="center"|< 20|* hunting||
|_Neurergus kaiseri_|Luristan newt|Amphibian||align="center"|Zagros Mountains, Lorestan, Iran|align="center"|< 1,000|* illegal collection for pet trade||
|_Oreocnemis phoenix_|Mulanje red damsel (damselfly)|Insect (damselfly)||align="center"|Mulanje Plateau, Malawi|align="center"|Unknown|* habitat destruction and degradation due to drainage * agricultural expansion * exploitation of forest||
|_Pangasius sanitwongsei_|Pangasid catfish|Fish||align="center"|Chao Phraya and Mekong basins in Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam|align="center"|Unknown|* overfishing * collection for aquarium trade||
|_Parides burchellanus_|(butterfly)|Insect (butterfly)||align="center"|Cerrado, Brazil|align="center"|< 100|* human expansion * limited range||
|_Phocoena sinus_|Vaquita (porpoise)|Mammal (cetacean)||align="center"|Northern Gulf of California, Mexico|align="center"|< 200|* capture in fishermen's gillnets||
|_Picea neoveitchii_|Type of spruce tree|Plant (tree)||align="center"|Qinling Range, China|align="center"|Unknown|* destruction of forest||
|_Pinus squamata_|Qiaojia pine|Plant (tree)||align="center"|Qiaojia, Yunnan, China|align="center"|< 25|* limited distribution * small population size||
|_Poecilotheria metallica_|Gooty tarantula, metallic tarantula, peacock parachute spider, peacock tarantula, Salepurgu|Spider||align="center"|Nandyal and Giddalur, Andhra Pradesh, India|align="center"|Unknown|* deforestation * firewood collection * civil unrest||
|_Pomarea whitneyi_|Fatuhiva monarch|Bird||align="center"|Fatu Hiva, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia|align="center"|50|* predation by introduced species - Rattus rattus and feral cats||
|_Pristis pristis_|Common sawfish|Fish||align="center"|Coastal tropical and subtropical waters of Indo-Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Currently largely restricted to northern Australia|align="center"|Unknown|* exploitation has removed the species from 95 per cent of its historical range||
|_Prolemur simus_|Greater bamboo lemur|Mammal (primate)||align="center"|Southeastern and southcentral rainforests of Madagascar|align="center"|100–160|* agriculture * mining * illegal logging||
|_Propithecus candidus_|Silky sifaka|Mammal (primate)||align="center"|Maroantsetra to Andapa basin, and Marojeju Massif, Madagascar|align="center"|100–1,000|* hunting * habitat disturbance||
|_Psammobates geometricus_|Geometric tortoise|Reptile (tortoise)||align="center"|Western Cape Province, South Africa|align="center"|Unknown|* loss of habitat destruction * predation||
|_Pseudoryx nghetinhensis_|Saola|Mammal||align="center"|Annamite mountains, on the Viet Nam - PDR Laos border|align="center"|Unknown|* habitat destruction * hunting||
|_Psiadia cataractae_||Plant||align="center"|Mauritius|align="center"|Unknown|* development project * competition from invasive plant species||
|_Psorodonotus ebneri_|Beydaglari bush-cricket|Insect||align="center"|Beydaglari range, Antalaya, Turkey|align="center"|Unknown|* climate change * habitat loss||
|_Rafetus swinhoei_|Red River giant softshell turtle|Reptile (turtle)||align="center"|Hoan Kiem Lake and Dong Mo Lake, Viet Nam, and Suzhou Zoo, China|align="center"|3|* hunting for consumption * wetland destruction * pollution||
|_Rhinoceros sondaicus_|Javan rhino|Mammal (rhino)||align="center"|Ujung Kulon National Park, Java, Indonesia|align="center"|< 100|* hunting for traditional medicine * small population size||
|_Rhinopithecus avunculus_|Tonkin snub-nosed monkey|Mammal (primate)||align="center"|Northeastern Viet Nam|align="center"|< 200|* habitat loss * hunting||
|_Rhizanthella gardneri_|West Australian underground orchid|Plant (orchid)||align="center"|Western Australia, Australia|align="center"|< 100|* land clearance for agriculture * climate change * salinisation||
|_Rhynchocyon_ sp.|Boni giant sengi|Mammal (shrew)||align="center"|Boni-Dodori Forest, Lamu area, Kenya|align="center"|Unknown|* development causing habitat loss||
|_Risiocnemis seidenschwarzi_|Cebu frill-wing (damselfly)|Insect (damselfly)||align="center"|Rivulet beside the Kawasan River, Cebu, Philippines|align="center"|Unknown|* habitat degradation and destruction||
|_Rosa arabica_||Plant||align="center"|St Katherine Mountains, Egypt|align="center"|Unknown, 10 sub-populations|* domestic animal grazing * climate change and drought * medicinal plant collecting * limited range||
|_Salanoia durrelli_|Durrell’s vontsira (type of mongoose)|Mammal||align="center"|Marshes of Lake Alaotra, Madagascar|align="center"|Unknown|* loss of habitat||
|_Santamartamys rufodorsalis_|Red crested tree rat|Mammal (rodent)||align="center"|Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia|align="center"|Unknown|* urban development * coffee cultivation||
|_Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis_|Red-finned Blue-eye|Fish||align="center"|Edgbaston Station, central western Queensland, Australia|align="center"|2,000-4,000|* predation by introduced species||
|_Squatina squatina_|Angel shark|Fish (shark)||align="center"|Canary Islands|align="center"|Unknown|* benthic trawling||
|_Sterna bernsteini_|Chinese crested tern|Bird||align="center"|Breeding in Zhejiang and Fujian, China. Outside breeding season in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand.|align="center"|< 50|* habitat destruction * egg collection||
|_Syngnathus watermeyeri_|Estuarine pipefish|Fish||align="center"|Kariega Estuary to East Kleinemonde Estuary, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa|align="center"|Unknown|* dam construction is altering river flows * flood events into estuaries||
|_Tahina spectabilis_|Suicide Palm Dimaka|Plant||align="center"|Analalava district, north-western Madagascar|align="center"|90|* fires * logging * agricultural developments||
|_Telmatobufo bullocki_|Bullock’s false toad|Amphibian (frog)||align="center"|Nahuelbuta, Arauco Province, Chile|align="center"|Unknown|* construction of hydro-electricity||
|_Tokudaia muenninki_|Okinawa spiny rat|Mammal (rodent)||align="center"|Okinawa Island, Japan|align="center"|Unknown|* habitat loss * predation by feral cats||
|_Trigonostigma somphongsi_|Somphongs’s rasbora|Fish||align="center"|Mae Khlong basin, Thailand|align="center"|Unknown|* farmland conversion and urbanization||
|_Valencia letourneuxi_||Fish||align="center"|Southern Albania and Western Greece|align="center"|Unknown|* habitat destruction * water abstraction * aggressive interaction with _Gambusia_||
|_Voanioala gerardii_|Forest coconut|Plant||align="center"|Masoala peninsula, Madagascar|align="center"|< 10|* deforestation * harvesting for consumption of palm heart||
|_Zaglossus attenboroughi_|Attenborough’s echidna|Mammal||align="center"|Cyclops Mountains, Papua Province, Indonesia|align="center"|Unknown|* habitat modification and degradation * logging * agricultural encroachment shifting cultivation and hunting by local people||