The world is facing an extinction crisis. According to the Living Planet Index, wildlife populations have declined by 60% in the last 40 years. Although species go extinct naturally, mankind's impact has accelerated the rate of extinction to up to 1,000 times faster than the estimated natural rate. Our world’s plants and animals are of incalculable value as they provide ecosystem services that are essential to life on earth. Besides their direct worth, wildlife is valuable to us in many ways that cannot be expressed in dollars and cents – the majesty of an elephant in a savannah, the hard stare of a lion when you make eye contact, our sense of serenity and wellbeing in natural spaces. These are things that money cannot buy, but we could lose them if our conservation efforts fail. The first step to addressing a problem is to understand its extent, severity and causes. Without this information it would be impossible to find effective solutions. To address this need, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) established the Red List, which since 1964 has grown to become the largest and most comprehensive database of extinction risks to plants and animals. By combining hard data with expert knowledge in a standardised and globally recognised format the IUCN Red List has become the go-to resource for conservationists and the general public. It is an especially useful guide for setting conservation priorities by identifying which species need the most urgent help, and what we can do to reduce the threats they face. You can search this database to find out more about plants or animals that interest you at www.iucnredlist.org.