threatened species

[thret-nd spee-sheez, spee-seez]

noun

Biology, Ecology.

1. a plant or animal species generally perceived as likely, in the near future, to become endangered within all or much of its range.

   The drainage of this wetland promises to leave us with a number of threatened species.

2. a plant or animal species that has been categorized by the IUCN Red List as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered.

   In evaluating the conservation status of this threatened species, we must follow closely the population growth rate.

Example Sentences

East Pacific green sea turtles, a species primarily found on California’s coast, are categorized as a threatened species.

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It is estimated it will protect more than 12,000 koalas as well as provide a habitat for more than 100 other threatened species.

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He helped draft a 2024 petition urging the federal government to declare the Wilson’s phalarope a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

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"Our goal is to deploy the Rhisotope technology at scale to help protect one of Africa's most iconic and threatened species," said Jessica Babich, head of the Rhisotope Project.

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Raquel Mason, senior legislative manager with the California Environmental Justice Alliance, said it’s not only threatened species that could potentially suffer under the new rules, but also low-income communities, communities of color and other groups who have historically been disproportionately burdened by pollution and other environmental harms.

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