Politics of National Red List Classifications: Challenging the Reclassification of Araucaria araucana

Abstract

The IUCN Red List evaluates species' extinction risk based on quantitative data about population size, distribution, and changes over time. Species are assigned to nine categories representing their conservation status. Using the case of the Pewen tree (Monkey Puzzle tree, Araucaria araucana) reclassification in Chile from Vulnerable to Endangered, I analyse the reactions and negotiations among scientists, government officials, and Indigenous Pewenche people. Through interviews and a review of documents, I describe the discussions and negotiations before and during the reclassification, showing how different meanings of species endangerment affected the process. This research demonstrates that extinction risk categories are not a condition unveiled by data but are negotiated through estimations, assumptions, opinions, and consensus. Furthermore, actors beyond scientists and evaluators can dispute the meaning of a conservation status. Extinction risk lists are not just tools for measuring wild species' conditions but are complex processes affected by political and cultural issues. Abstract in Spanish: rb.gy/wqghf1 2025