| Conservation status |
|---|
| Extinct |
| Threatened |
| Lower Risk |
| Other categories |
| Related topics |
 Comparison ofRed List classes above andNatureServe status below  |
Anear-threatened species is aspecies which has beencategorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable toendangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify for the threatened status.[1][2]
The IUCN notes the importance of reevaluating near-threatenedtaxa at appropriate intervals.
The rationale used for near-threatened taxa usually includes the criteria ofvulnerable which are plausible or nearly met, such as reduction in numbers or range. Those designated since 2001 that depend on conservation efforts to not become threatened are no longer separately consideredconservation-dependent species.
Before 2001, the IUCN used the version 2.3 Categories and Criteria to assignconservation status, which included a separate category forconservation-dependent species ("Conservation Dependent", LR/cd). With this category system, Near Threatened and Conservation Dependent were both subcategories of the category "Lower Risk". Taxa which were last evaluated before 2001 may retain their LR/cd or LR/nt status, although had the category been assigned with the same information today the species would be designated simply "Near Threatened (NT)" in either case.
![The gray bat was moved from "endangered" to "near-threatened" due to successful conservation efforts. It has now been moved to vulnerable.[3]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGray_Bat_USACE.jpg)
| IUCNRed List |
| ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bytaxa | |||||||||||||||||||
| Conservation | |||||||||||||||||||
1 Pre-2001 categories and subcategories shown initalics. | |||||||||||||||||||
| By region |   | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australasia | |||||||||
| Canada | |||||||||
| Europe | |||||||||
| South Africa | |||||||||
| United States | |||||||||
| Lists |
| ||||||||
