The Green Status complements the IUCN Red List by providing a tool for assessing the recovery of species and measuring their conservation success.

First Green Status assessment for the lion (Panthera leo)

• Lion’s Green Status: Largely depleted, while the species remains Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
• Human Impact: Human activities are preventing the lion from being ecologically functional across its range.
• Extinct Regions: The lion is extinct in North Africa and Southwest Asia.
• Conservation Success: Efforts in parts of West and Southern Central Africa, South Africa, and India have helped prevent likely extinctions.

IUCN Green Status of Species

• Background of IUCN Green Status of Species: IUCN called for the creation of "Green Lists" to measure conservation success for species, ecosystems, and protected areas, at 2012 World Conservation Congress.
• Purpose: 

• Complementing the Red List: While the Red List focuses on extinction risk, Green Status adds insight into how species can recover and what conservation actions are required.
• Highlighting Conservation Success: Even species with low extinction risk (e.g., Saltwater Crocodile) might still need recovery across their historical range, showing that conservation isn’t just about extinction prevention.

• There are eight Green Status Categories: Extinct in the Wild, Critically Depleted, Largely Depleted, Moderately Depleted, Slightly Depleted, Fully Recovered, Non-Depleted and Indeterminate.
  • There are now over 100 IUCN Green Status of Species assessments on the IUCN Red List.