Workability of the new ‘IUCN Categories of Threat’ with Odonata in South Africa

The workability of the recent ‘IUCN Categories of Threat' needs to be assessed for various taxa. During the time of preparation of these, a study was done on the feasibility for Odonata in South Africa. 8 South African spp. are currently Red Listed. The new Categories provide a highly workable framework for threat assessment, especially so with respect to changes in status, and stimulate discussion on whether certain spp. should be removed from the list, yet other spp. added. They also stimulate worthwhile research in single-species conservation albeit at a fairly high financial cost.