One in Five Assessed Soil Species at Risk of Extinction, Data Needed for Thousands More – Study
ARLINGTON, Va. (April 15, 2026) – A new report led by Conservation International and IUCN, published today in Oryx, warns that over 40% of more than 8,500 soil‑dependent species are at risk of extinction or Data‑Deficient on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.
Soil is central to human survival. Ninety-five percentof the food humans consume depends on it, and healthy soil could store up to 27% of the carbon needed to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius. Yet despite its importance, many of the species that keep soil healthy are now at risk.
“Soil sustains many of the most essential parts of human life, yet we still have not sufficiently studied the thousands of species within it” said Neil Cox, Manager of the Biodiversity Assessment Unit, a joint initiative of Conservation International and IUCN. “This study draws attention to the dire state of many soil‑dependent species, and we hope its publication spurs the increased focus and funding needed to understand how to conserve these species.”