State Indicators

Mexican marine species at risk

Due to the lack of data regarding the status of populations of species of flora and fauna of a country or region, lists of endangered species have been employed by governments of many countries, international organizations and NGOs as indicators of the biodiversity status in a country or region. Under this scheme, threatened species represent the actual or potential reduction of biodiversity in a country or region (UNCSD, 1995; UICN, 2001). The Mexican marine species at risk is used as an indicator of the biodiversity of some of the taxa living in the country’s marine ecosystems. The use of the number of threatened species is highly recommended by various international organizations (e. g. ONU, 2007 and OECD, 2008) and by environmental agencies or ministries of many countries, including Mexico.