A Map of What We Are About to Lose

The science

The International Union for Conservation of Nature maintains the Red List of Threatened Species – the world's most authoritative record of which animals and plants are at risk of extinction. Behind it lies the Red List Index, a measure of how threatened species are, assessed region by region across the globe.

Species extinction isn't spread evenly. It concentrates in particular places – biodiversity hotspots under pressure from habitat loss, climate change and human expansion.

How we turned it into a print

We mapped the concentration of endangered species as a grid: the tighter and denser the grid in a region, the more threatened species live there. If the world had no red-listed species, this map would be a plain, even grid – so every distortion you see is a place where life is under pressure. It is a sobering, quietly powerful piece to live with.

The print

From our Minimal collection, The World as Endangered Species is printed on premium paper in 70x50 cm and 100x70 cm. Data source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.