In 2011, the IUCN upgraded the Sumatran elephant to which Red List status?

In 2011, the IUCN upgraded the Sumatran elephant to Critically Endangered.

The Sumatran elephant is the subspecies Elephas maximus sumatranus, one of the recognized forms of the Asian elephant. The IUCN change reflected a severe population decline: assessments reported that numbers had fallen by at least 80% over three generations, a period estimated at roughly 75 years.

Its main threats are habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, along with poaching and conflict with people. Forest conversion for settlements, agriculture and plantations has broken remaining habitat into small, isolated blocks, making it harder for elephant groups to move, feed and reproduce.

A common mix-up is confusing the Sumatran elephant’s status with that of the Asian elephant as a whole. The broader Asian elephant species is Endangered, while the Sumatran subspecies received the more severe Critically Endangered classification in 2011.