Man is part of nature, but for some reason he often forgets about it. Most often, ecology suffers precisely from the vital activity of people themselves. Many international organizations, the existence of which we do not even suspect, are trying to protect humanity, paradoxically, from themselves.
What is IUCN and what does this organization do
Such conservation societies include the International Union for Conservation of Nature, abbreviated as IUCN. It was created with the filing of UNESCO in 1948 and is one of the largest non-profit and independent organizations in the world. Among the many published publications of the Union is the Red Book. Yes, yes, the very one we learn about the existence of from the school bench, and eventually we forget. What is an international red book? It is not a law, does not have any legal status, just bears a recommendatory character for those countries where there is a threat to wildlife. The IUCN policy document, which has become official since 1979, is the World Conservation Strategy. IUCN is the oldest organization, with 78 states and, among other things, 12, 000 scientists and experts from around the world. The international Red Book contains a complete list of all the rare and very small representatives of flora and fauna.
Having access to the highest international level, the Union for Conservation of Nature is ready to cooperate with any party, organization or group of volunteers whose tasks include protecting and protecting the environment. The main goal of IUCN is to convey its ideas to all of humanity as efficiently and more accessible as possible and, as a result, improve the system of nature conservation, regardless of politics and social differences.
What is the Red Book?
The idea of publishing a book that would have collected all endangered species of animals and plants arose a long time ago, therefore, as soon as IUCN was formed, the Commission on Rare Species of Nature began to develop this publication. The chairman of the commission, Peter Scott, proposed calling it “Red” and making the cover the same color - as a sign that nature is in danger of extinction. So that both the color and the title of the book make people think about the wrong attitude to nature, its barbaric destruction.
What is the Red Book? In order to preserve the world around us, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in 1963 published a Red Book, which collected the most rare species of fauna. The publication turned out to be quite voluminous - in two volumes, but the circulation was very small, and only some statesmen and prominent scientists became the owners of the first copies.
Gradually, changes took place in nature … The Red Book was reprinted four times (until 1980). During this time, 14 species of animals, birds, reptiles, fish and amphibians irretrievably disappeared. If some species and subspecies of animals, birds and reptiles were restored, then fish and amphibians were not lucky.
Color and signs
The definition of “what is the Red Book” can be found in any encyclopedia or dictionary. This book is also unusual in that its pages have a different color, which depends on the category of species or subspecies of representatives of flora and fauna inscribed on a particular sheet. For convenience, all types are divided and indicated by the following signs:
1.
Black color:
- EX - already disappeared;
- EW - still preserved, but live in captivity.
2. Red - endangered:
- CR - critical position;
- EN - threatened with extinction;
- VUs are very vulnerable.
3. Green - low risk:
- CD - may disappear without providing the necessary security measures;
- NT - already close to the “at risk” group;
- LC - there is a risk, but minimal.
What is the Red Book of Russia
The first edition of the Red Book of the USSR dates from 1978. Later they began to publish Red Books on the Union republics and on individual, most problematic regions and areas.
The human influence on nature in the most inhabited regions of Russia turned out to be such that some species of animals and plants became not so much less - they completely disappeared from the face of the earth. So, for example, once large animals lived on the territory of Russia - tours. These individuals, similar to bison, had huge growth, their height at the withers reached two meters. Naturally, they were the coveted prey of hunters. The number of tours so abruptly subsided that officials of tsarist Russia sounded the alarm, and decrees were issued on the protection of these animals and the ban on their hunting in princely lands. But this did not help, and the tours disappeared.
The same fate befell the relative of Przhevalsky's horse - the tarpan. They lived in the steppes and forest-steppes of Russia, but the settlers began to plow these lands, leaving no chance for the tarpan to survive. If the “Belovezhskaya Pushcha” reserve had not been created, then the bison would have suffered the same fate. The list of extinct animals in Russia continues to grow, unfortunately. And now on the verge of extinction are 22 species of animals, 25 species of birds, one reptile, three species of fish, 16 invertebrates and about a hundred plants.
On the basis of the Federal Law “On Environmental Protection” (1991) and “On the Animal World” (1995), the Red Book of the Russian Federation: Animals was published in 2001.
Now the Red Book of Russia is an official document on endangered species of animals and plants, of which 533 are on the verge of extinction.
What is the Red Book of Plants
The first five editions of the Red Book were devoted exclusively to endangered and rare species of animals, and since 1963 the Red Book of Plants was released. Since then, the definition of “what is the Red Book” has changed the line, which mentions the list of the rarest representatives of not only the animal, but also the plant world
The number of dying plants is increasing at such a rate that today even those species that have recently grown everywhere in large areas have got into the Red Book. It is already possible to include snow-white snowdrop, a cornflower of Dubyansky, a crested crest of Marshall, etc.
