The “Red Data Books” published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resource (IUCN) contain lists of
- 1.Endemic plant and animal species present in the biodiversity hotspots.
- 2.Threatened plant and animal species.
- 3.Protected sites for conservation of nature and natural resources in various countries.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
IUCN's Red Data Books are registers of species placed in threat categories such as Endangered or Vulnerable, so they list threatened plant and animal species. They do not list the endemic species of biodiversity hotspots as a class, and they do not list protected sites. Only statement 2 is correct.
- ✗ 1. The Red Data Books classify species by extinction risk, not by whether they are endemic to a biodiversity hotspot. An endemic species appears only if it is itself threatened. Hotspots are a separate concept.
- ✓ 2. The Red Data Books used threatened-species categories from the 1960s and evolved into the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They record the extinction-risk status of plant and animal species.
- ✗ 3. The Red Data Books list species, not areas. Protected sites are recorded elsewhere, for example in the UN List of Protected Areas, and are not the subject of the Red Data Books.
Remember · Red Data Book = IUCN's register of threatened species by risk category (Extinct, Endangered, Vulnerable, etc.). It lists species, not sites or hotspots.
Sources
- IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, Version 3.1 (IUCN, 2001) ↗ “Before 1994 the more subjective threatened species categories used in IUCN Red Data Books and Red Lists had been in place, with some modification, for almost 30 years.”
- IUCN Red List – Background & History ↗ “Established in 1964, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus and plant species.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2011, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·
