Before the red-crested tree rat was spotted on a nature reserve in Colombia in 2011, it was listed as "Data Deficient" by the IUCN. It's now listed as "Critically Endangered," but a lack of information has left many animals without a conservation status — though they may well be in need of protection.
The post Conservation Purgatory: Listing a Species as ‘Data Deficient’ appeared first on Undark.