The 2015 Red List of Swedish Species, published on April 28 2015, is the fourth Swedish Red List based on the international IUCN criteria. It occurs both in a printed edition and digitally at our new web service Artfakta (in swedish). New to this edition is that the printed version contains mainly the species lists, whereas the conclusions and analyses will be published in a separate report, and at the website. New to this edition is also that apomictic species of Lady’s mantles, brambles, dandelions and hawkbits have also been assessed.
The purpose of the Red List
The Red List is an important indicator of the conservation status of Sweden’s species stock, which may be used to monitor to what extent the Swedish Environmental Objectives and various international agreements ratified by Sweden are being met. We are committed by the UN Biodiversity Convention to preserve our biodiversity and use it sustainably. Biologically valuable habitats are to be protected, and Conservation Action Plans are to be developed and implemented in order to protect our most threatened species. The Swedish Environmental Objective entitled A Rich Diversity of Plant and Animal Life stipulates that all species and habitat types occurring naturally in Sweden shall enjoy a favourable conservation status. To achieve this, the situation of our threatened species must be improved, and the Red List can be used to evaluate our progress in these efforts.
The Red List is also an important tool for planning of conservation measures and realisation of environmental-impact assessments. When prioritizing between conservation measures, other factors –e.g. the European and global conservation status of the species, the percentage of the European/global population occurring in Sweden, and our possibilities to reduce the level of threat to the species – should, however, also be taken into account.
