Near Threatened is a classification category on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Threatened Species List. Currently 2,657 species are defined as near threatened. Scientists categorize a species as Near Threatened when conservationists believe that it will face extinction in the near future, but it doesn’t currently meet the standards for another category.
There are six main reasons why scientists categorize taxons as near threatened:
- Habitat loss;
- Introduction of a foreign species;
- Hunting;
- Pollution;
- Disease; and
- Loss of genetic variation.
