least concern

American  

[leest kuhn-surn] / ˈlist kənˈsɜrn /

adjective

Biology, Ecology.

1. (of a plant or animal species) assessed to be thriving, with a distribution or population status that is neither threatened nor near threatened, as categorized by the IUCN Red List: LC

   Among the least concern birds on our favorite watches are the sandhill cranes and the pied-billed grebes.

---

Etymology

Origin of least concern

First recorded in 1995–2000

Example Sentences

Harp seals are listed as a special species of “least concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, though their population declined to low levels in the 1960s due to hunting.

From Seattle Times

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies them as a species of least concern, meaning that they are not threatened or in need of conservation efforts.

From New York Times

But a species being listed as "least concern" or "near threatened" doesn't mean its populations are stable.

From Reuters

These are then incorporated into a ranking that ranges from “least concern” to “critically endangered” for those species still found in the wild.

From Scientific American

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, an international organization that assesses the level of extinction threats to animals, lists the toad as "least concern," based on a 2019 assessment, but some argue that the threats against toads are still rising.

From Salon