IUCN Red List

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List), founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species. A series of Regional Red Lists are produced by countries or organizations, which assess the risk of extinction to species within a political management unit.

The IUCN Red List is set upon precise criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies. These criteria are relevant to all species and all regions of the world. The aim is to convey the urgency of conservation issues to the public and policy makers, as well as help the international community to try to reduce species extinction. According to IUCN (1996), the formally stated goals of the Red List are (1) to provide scientifically based information on the status of species and subspecies at a global level, (2) to draw attention to the magnitude and importance of threatened biodiversity, (3) to influence national and international policy and decision-making, and (4) to provide information to guide actions to conserve biological diversity.

International Union for Conservation of Nature

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, lobbying and education. IUCN's mission is to "influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable."

Over the past decades, IUCN has widened its focus beyond conservation ecology and now incorporates issues related to gender equality, poverty alleviation and sustainable business in its projects. Unlike other international NGOs, IUCN does not itself aim to mobilize the public in support of nature conservation. It tries to influence the actions of governments, business and other stakeholders by providing information and advice, and through lobbying and partnerships. The organization is best known to the wider public for compiling and publishing the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which assesses the conservation status of species worldwide.

Roman Saini

Dr. Roman Saini is an Indian educator, motivational speaker and was one of the youngest IAS officers. Saini was previously posted as Assistant Collector in Madhya Pradesh. Saini is the co-founder of Unacademy, an online portal which provides educational content to civil service aspirants.

In January 2016, Saini resigned from IAS to concentrate on his free education initiative Unacademy.

Early life and education

Saini was born in Jaipur, Rajasthan. He attended AIIMS, and cleared the AIIMS entrance exam at the age of 16. In 2013, at the age of 22, he cleared the Civil Services Examination in his first attempt and became one of the youngest IAS officers in India by securing an All India Rank of 18. He resigned in 2016 before the formal completion of his training.

Unacademy

In 2013, Saini created Unacademy, an online education portal for civil service aspirants, together with Gaurav Munjal. Unacademy provides free educational material to students through its website and video tutorials shared over YouTube. At present, the YouTube channel has more than 400 videos with over one lakh subscribers. In 2015, 10 students of Unacademy qualified civil services exam.