Eleven mammals now ‘uplisted' in Red List of Threatened Species

OVER-EXPLOITATION and poaching, habitat loss and degradation due to agricultural and urban expansion, and climate change have led to the uplisting (declining conservation status) of 11 mammal species.

- STAFF REPORTER

(MERLIN TUTTLE TREVOR MORGAN L. POZZI)

Three have been downlisted (improved status).

This was revealed in the 2025 Regional Mammal Red List of Threatened Species following an assessment by the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), along with 150 experts. They focused their assessment on the status of mammals in South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho.

The Thick-tailed Bushbaby (Otolemur crassicaudatus) is among the species uplisted from Least Concern to Near Threatened based on increasing threats due to agriculture, residential and industrial development, and emerging threats such as linear infrastructure development and climate change.

Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae) was downlisted from Vulnerable to Near Threatened due to a genuine increase in population numbers, exceeding the threshold for the Vulnerable category.

Of the 336 species assessed, 67 species are endemic to the assessment region. A total of 42% of these endemic mammals are threatened with extinction, making the region fully responsible for their protection and survival, according to the Endangered Wildlife Trust.

A protection level analysis shows that only around 76% of mammal species are well or moderately protected, with around 24% poorly or not protected.