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Ep355: IUCN Red List · Kidcast Daily

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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
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  Sports and trivia games galore. Kid Cats Daily is here with
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  another packed episode. Get ready for science, sports,
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  cool history, and facts so surprising you won't believe
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  they're real. Today we are exploring the IUCN
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  Red List. It is a global list that shows
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  how close different plants and animals are to disappearing from
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  the planet. IUCN stands for International
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  Union for Conservation of Nature.
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  Scientists, conservation groups and governments all use this
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  list to understand which species need the most help.
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  Think of it as a health check for the natural world based on
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  careful data, like how many individuals are left, where they
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  live and what dangers they face. Here is the basic idea.
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  Every species on the Red List gets a category.
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  The categories are least concerned, Near Threatened,
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  Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct
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  in the Wild, and Extinct. There are also two categories
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  for information status data deficient, which means
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  scientists do not have enough data to judge risk, and not
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  evaluated, which means the species has not been assessed
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  yet. These categories are based on
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  rules that look at population size, how fast numbers are
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  rising or falling, how large or small the area of habitat is,
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  and how split up or isolated the groups are.
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  Let's make this concrete with examples.
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  The giant panda used to be listed as endangered, but in
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  2016 it moved to vulnerable after years of steady recovery.
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  That change happened because there were better protected
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  forests and more efforts to care for the species.
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  Vaquita, a small porpoise that lives in the Gulf of California,
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  is critically endangered, with fewer than 20 individuals
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  estimated to remain. The Komodo dragon is listed as
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  endangered because its range is limited to a few islands and
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  rising sea levels and habitat changes are threats.
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  Some species have different listings depending on the group
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  being studied. For example, African elephants
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  are assessed AS2 species. The African Savannah elephant is
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  endangered, and the African forest elephant is critically
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  endangered due to greater declines.
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  Did you know that the Red List is not only about animals?
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  It also covers plants, fungi, and even corals and lichens.
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  That matters because many animals depend on plants and
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  other life forms for food and shelter.
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  If a key tree species becomes rare, the animals that use it
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  can also struggle. The Red List helps people see
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  these connections. Here is how a species gets
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  assessed. Scientists gather data from
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  field surveys, camera traps, satellite images, museum records
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  and community observations. They estimate how many
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  individuals exist, how fast numbers are changing, and how
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  large the occupied area is. They check for threats such as
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  habitat loss, disease, invasive species over harvest or
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  pollution. Then experts review the evidence
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  and apply the Red List criteria to decide the category.
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  The process is documented so anyone can see why a decision
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  was made. Assessments are updated when new
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  information appears. That way, if a species starts to
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  recover or decline, the listing can change.
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  Time for a quick trivia challenge.
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  In what year did the IUCN Red List officially begin?
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  It began in 1964, and it has grown from a small set of
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  printed sheets to a large online database used worldwide.
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  Here is another fresh angle. Yes or no question.
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  Does the Red List make laws that countries must follow?
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  No, the Red List does not make laws.
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  It provides scientific information.
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  Governments and organizations use that information to create
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  their own rules and actions. Let's dig into what the
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  categories mean in real terms. Least Concern means the species
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  is doing fine right now. Near threatened means it is
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  close to facing risk and needs watching.
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  Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered mean
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  rising levels of risk, with critically endangered being the
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  most serious before extinction in the wild.
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  Extinct in the wild means the species only survives in zoos,
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  aquariums, seed banks, Oregon, other managed places.
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  Extinct means there are no known living individuals anywhere.
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  These words are used very carefully and only after strong
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  evidence is reviewed. Here is a useful detail.
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  The Red List looks at generations, not just calendar
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  years. For a long lived animal like an
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  elephant, one generation can be decades.
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  For a small insect, a generation can be less than a year.
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  Using generations helps compare changes in different species
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  fairly. Data is the core of the Red
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  List. A big part of the work is
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  finding reliable numbers. Sometimes that is hard.
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  Some species live in deep oceans, thick forests, or
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  underground where counts are difficult.
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  When information is too thin, a species may be listed as data
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  deficient. That does not mean it is safe.
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  It means scientists need better surveys, clearer photos or more
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  reports to decide. Community science can help.
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  When people record observations with accurate locations and
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  dates, scientists can use those records to map ranges and spot
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  trends. Let's add a real world list of
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  reasons a species might move to a higher risk category.
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  If the number of adults drops by a large percentage over a short
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  time, that is a warning sign. If the area where the species
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  lives gets smaller and more broken up, that raises risk.
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  If the species is only found in a few tiny locations, 1 bad
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  event can cause big losses. If new threats appear, like a
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  disease or an invasive predator, that can push a species into
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  danger even if numbers were stable before.
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  Here comes a geography nugget. Where is the IUCN headquarters
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  located? It is in Gland, Switzerland.
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  From there, the organization coordinates global networks of
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  experts who contribute to assessments.
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  Now a yes or no question that opens a new door.
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  Are freshwater fish included on the Red List?
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  Yes. Thousands of freshwater fish
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  species are assessed, including many that live in lakes and
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  rivers used for drinking water and farming.
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  Their status can warn people about water quality and habitat
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  health. More examples help make the
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  picture clearer. The western black rhinoceros was
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  declared extinct in 2011 after decades without confirmed
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  sightings. That entry shows how important
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  early action is. Humpback whales are an example
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  of how results can vary by population.
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  Some humpback groups have recovered and are at lower risk
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  categories, while others still face threats like entanglement
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  and remain listed at higher risk.
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  Sea turtles also have separate assessments for each species and
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  sometimes for regional populations because they nest on
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  specific beaches and migrate long distances.
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  Did you know? The Red List includes more than
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  160,000 assessed species today and about 28% of them are
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  classified as threatened with extinction.
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  Threatened here means they are in the vulnerable, endangered or
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  critically endangered categories.
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  This number changes as new assessments come in and as
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  species move up or down in risk. Let's talk about how people use
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  the Red List. Park managers use it to plan
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  protected areas. Zoos use it to design breeding
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  programs for species that need backups in case wild numbers
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  fall. Schools and museums use it to
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  teach about biodiversity. Companies use it to check
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  whether their projects might affect rare species and to
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  design steps that reduce harm. International agreements also
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  use Red List data to set priorities for funding and
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  action. Here comes a technology tidbit.
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  Trivia question. What tool on the Red List
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  website lets you view species on a map to see where they live?
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  It is the range map feature which shows colored shapes on a
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  map for each species, known distribution, seasonality, and
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  sometimes present status. Another yes or no question with
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  a new twist. Can fungi be listed as
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  critically endangered on the Red List?
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  Yes, Fungi can be listed in any category if the data show they
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  meet the criteria, and some rare fungi are assessed at very high
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  risk. Now let's connect this to daily
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  life with clear actions. You can help by learning the
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  names of local species and recording observations through
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  community science platforms with accurate times and locations.
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  You can support habitats by planting native plants using
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  less water and keeping areas clean of trash.
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  You can choose products that come from responsible sources
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  like wood, certified by reputable programs.
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  You can share what you learn with friends and family so more
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  people understand why species matter.
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  Here is one last trivia question with a brand new fact.
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  Which group within IUCN brings together thousands of volunteer
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  experts who help with assessments and action plans for
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  species? It is the Species Survival
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  Commission, often called the SSC.
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  Its specialist groups focus on everything from sharks to
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  orchids. Let's wrap up with a short
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  recap. The IUCN Red List is a global
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  system that measures extinction risk for species using clear
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  categories and strict criteria. It covers animals, plants,
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  fungi, and more. Scientists collect data on
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  numbers, trends, range and threats, then publish
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  assessments that are reviewed and updated.
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  Real examples include the giant panda improving to vulnerable,
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  faquitas at critical risk, and some whales recovering while
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  others still need help. The Red List does not make laws,
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  but it guides decisions for parks, schools, zoos,
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  communities and companies. It offers maps, facts and
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  summaries that anyone can read. You can help by learning about
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  local species, supporting healthy habitats, and sharing
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  accurate information. When people use good data and
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  take informed action, species have a better chance to thrive.
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