Help and FAQ

Our help pages contain answers to a variety of Frequently Asked Questions, as well as explanations and definitions of our National Red List database and search fields and a glossary of some of the commonly used terms throughout the website. Do use these pages as a first port of call for anything you have queries about, but if you can’t find the answer don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

My country is not shaded on the map - why not?

If you know your country has a Red List (or several) and it is not shaded on our map, it is because the data haven't been processed into the NRLD yet. If you can help with sharing these data, please see the Contributing Your Data page. We would be delighted to include it and the map will automatically update!

 

I have National Red List data - How do I qualify as a data provider?

We can only accept data from the owners of the data. This could be a Red List Authority, an author on the publication, a governmental representative or National Focal Point with permissions from the source. Please see the Data Agreement clause on the Contributing Your Data page.

 

I am working on a Red List across several countries, is this included?

Absolutely. We refer to National Red Lists a lot, but we very much include Red Lists at any regional scale smaller than global, from several countries to a key area in one country or even cross-border, such as a specific habitat.

 

I’m uploading some data, but I have more fields than are included in your template. Can I include them?

We are always working to improve the functioning of the database. If you have additional fields that you believe are relevant, you can include them at the end of the spreadsheet, and make a note to alert us of their presence. Whilst we may not be able to upload them currently, they will be included should we launch additional features for the database.

 

I’ve downloaded some species assessment data, where can I find explanations of the field names?

This is a beta version website and downloading data is not currently available. Take a look at the Database Fields page, which lists definitions of all the search fields and database fields.

 

What are the working languages of the project?

As we are based in the UK our working language is English but we have designed the site with an automatic translation service in the top right hand corner, so all pages should be viewable in a language of your choosing. We also provide links to National Red Lists in all the languages they are published in. Please be aware that although we have done our best to ensure the site is available in as many languages as possible, we may struggle to translate accurately if you contact us in a language other than English and won’t necessarily be able to respond to individual queries in the same language that they were received.

 

How often is the database updated?

This is a beta version of the website and whilst we are undertaking tests and checks there will not be a defined update schedule to follow. The current version of the dataset is 2022 version 1.0. We are moving towards enabling data owners to submit their data through an uploader form. These data would then go through basic checks and once verified, be available online. 

 

How my data will be cited and be credited?

Your individual assessments or publications should be cited as per the original attribution you provided in the "rrl citation" field.

For broad use of the website and data, the preferred citation format is as follows: “ZSL and IUCN National Red List Working Group. 2022. National Red List Database. Version 2022-1. https://www.nationalredlist.org. Accessed on [day month year].”

Please see the

for full details the onward usage of the data hosted on the NRLD.