For the first time, a list of endangered flora and fauna species is being prepared by Costa Rica.

World Conservation Union's (iucn) representatives, along with 70 scientists studying animal and plant life in Costa Rica, will compile the list. They have used iucn criteria to review more than 400 species.

Costa Rica's list of endangered species, prepared by its environment ministry, is extremely outdated and was not compiled under rigid standard, explained Yolanda Matamoros, coordinator (Costa Rica) Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (cites).

The scientists classified each plant or animal species in one of the following eight categories: extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, vulnerable, near threatened, least concern and data deficient.

Groups were asked to justify their classifications with written explanations in which they named the sources of their information - published information or local knowledge.