RAMAS® Rapid List is based on RAMAS® Red List, which implements IUCN threatened species criteria. These rules for assigning species into categories representing different level of threat are based on information about such characteristics as number and distribution of individuals, fluctuations and decline in abundance and distribution, and risk of extinction.

 

The data are entered into the program in four pages (windows):

• Taxonomy: Species name, and taxonomic details (family, order, class, etc.)

• Assessment: Names of assessors and evaluators; date and type of assessment.

• Ecology: Generation length, life history information, distribution and counties of occurrence, habitats, threats, conservation measures, etc.

• Data and Status: Data on population size, trends, and distribution used by the program to calculate the status (see below). This is the main window for entering the relevant data.

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Using the program

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For each of the parameters in the "Data and Status" window, select one of the choices (such as "20 to 19,999 km²"). The edit box on the far right will then contain the corresponding range (interval) of values. For example, if you selected "20 to 19,999 km²" for Extent of Occurrence (EOO), the edit box will contain [20,19999].

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If you have additional information, we strongly recommend that you edit this value to reflect that information. For example, if you know that EOO is about 2000 km², you can enter this information in one of the following ways:

• 2000 if you are quite sure of the value;

• [1000,3000] if you believe it is between 1000 and 3000 km², but you are not sure of the exact value;

• [1000,2000, 3000] if you believe it is between 1000 and 3000 km², and your best guess is that it is 2000 km².

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Note: if you specify more than one value (e.g., an interval), you have to separate them with commas and enclose them in square brackets. 

We strongly recommend:

• Try to specify as many parameters as possible, do not leave any parameters "ignored".

• Whenever you have information, enter a value in the edit box on the right (see above), instead of selecting one of the choices on the left.

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The last three parameters (Continuing decline, Extreme fluctuations, and Severely fragmented) are logical (true-false) parameters. For the values of these parameters, you can enter "yes", "no", "true", "false", or "truth(x)", where x is a number ranging from 0 (false) to 1 (true).

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Next, click on the "Calculate" button. The program will display the likely threat status and the criteria that are likely to be met. It is important to remember that this status is only a preliminary assessment.

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Next, click on the "Save to File" button. This will save the information in two different files:

1. The information will be added to a file named RapidList.CSV file. You can open this file using a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel.

2. The information will be saved in a RAMAS® Red List Taxon File. The file extension (type) will be RED, and the program will ask for a filename. You can open this file in RAMAS® Red List for making a full Red List assessment.