The World Conservation Union (IUCN) criteria for classifying threatened spe
cies in Red Lists were constructed to be applied primarily on a global scal
e. Nonetheless, many nature conservation efforts are conducted at national
levels and there is consequently a demand for Red Lists at subglobal scales
. In 1999, a working group presented draft guidelines of how to apply the I
UCN criteria at such levels. Meanwhile, the 1994 IUCN criteria were the sub
ject of re-evaluation, resulting in the somewhat altered 2001 IUCN criteria
. Experiences of applying the suggested guidelines for national Red Lists,
particularly from Sweden and Finland, revealed that the system is applicabl
e to a wide range of taxa and geographical scales, even though there are is
sues that remain to be resolved. A comparison of the classification outcome
of species listed both at global and national levels has highlighted some
incongruities.