Twenty five per cent of freshwater fish species at risk of extinction, with alarming declines noted for Atlantic salmon and green turtles, according to the latest IUCN Red List update.
While success stories emerge for the scimitar-horned oryx and saiga antelope, the overall trend signals a deepening biodiversity crisis, emphasizing the escalating threats posed by climate change. This update serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for robust conservation measures to protect Earth’s intricate ecosystems.
“Today’s update to the IUCN Red List shows the power of coordinated local, national and international conservation efforts. Success stories such as that of the scimitar horned oryx show that conversation works. To ensure the results of conservation action are durable, we need to decisively tackle the interlinked climate and biodiversity crises,” said IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak.
FRESHWATER FISH: ALARMING EXTINCTION RISK
The comprehensive assessment of the world’s freshwater fish species exposes a grim reality, with 25% (3,086 out of 14,898) identified as at risk of extinction. Climate change compounds existing threats, including pollution, dams, overfishing, invasive species, and disease. Examples such as the Lake Turkana robber highlight the multifaceted challenges leading to species vulnerability.
“Biodiversity data is the lens through which we view the urgent narrative of conservation,” said Dr Sean T. O’Brien, President and CEO of Nature Serve. O’Brien continued, “Today’s Red List update shines a light on the plight of freshwater fish, one of many groups facing multiple threats intensified by a changing climate. Yet, in the face of complexity, we possess the tools to act. Let us use our knowledge and resources to safeguard biodiversity for the generations that follow.”
“It is shocking that one quarter of all freshwater fish are now threatened with extinction and that climate change is now recognised as a significant contributing factor to their extinction risk, which was also recently reported to be a serious emerging threat to amphibians,” said Dr Barney Long, Re:wild’s Senior Director of Conservation Strategies. “It is critical that we better safeguard our freshwater systems as they are not only home to precious and irreplaceable wildlife, but also provide humans with so many services that only the natural world can.”
ATLANTIC SALMON: DECLINE AND CLIMATE IMPACT
The iconic Atlantic salmon sees a concerning shift from Least Concern to Near Threatened, with a 23% global population decrease between 2006 and 2020. Climate change exerts pervasive effects on the salmon’s life cycle, impacting young salmon development, prey availability, and facilitating invasive species. Barriers like dams further hinder their migrations, while pollution and breeding challenges add to the species‘ vulnerability.
GREEN TURTLES: RISING EXTINCTION RISK
Central South Pacific and East Pacific green turtles face heightened extinction risks, respectively classified as Endangered and Vulnerable. Climate change exacerbates threats throughout their life cycle, leading to reduced hatching success, flooding nests, and endangering seagrasses – a vital part of their diet. Incidental bycatch in fishing remains a major cause of mortality.
CONSERVATION SUCCESS: SCIMITAR-HORNED ORYX AND SAIGA ANTELOPE
Amidst challenges, the scimitar-horned oryx marks a conservation triumph, transitioning from Extinct in the Wild to Endangered. Successful reintroduction efforts in Chad showcase the impact of strategic vision, government commitment, and collaboration with local communities. The saiga antelope witnesses an improvement in status, moving from Critically Endangered to Near Threatened, attributed to anti-poaching measures and trade controls.
“The scimitar-horned oryx is the fourth large mammal to have been successfully reintroduced to the wild in the past 100 years. The success of this project and the dramatic recovery of the saiga are the results of strategic vision, strong government commitment and investment, technical support from non-governmental organisations and scientific experts, and collaboration with local communities,” said Dr David Mallon, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group.
“The outstanding progress made with scimitar-horned oryx in Chad has shown that local conditions in their original landscape are currently very favourable and the response of the local communities has also been notably positive,” said Tim Wacher, Senior Conservation Biologist at the ZSL, who has supported post-release monitoring efforts. “The results are the outcome of prolonged international conservation efforts for the species – including the breeding of oryx for reintroduction at ZSL’s own conservation zoo – coupled with the vision and resources to implement re-introduction quickly and at scale once careful in-depth preparation was completed.”
BIG LEAF MAHOGANY: TIMBER TREE THREATENED
Big leaf mahogany, a sought-after timber tree, shifts from Vulnerable to Endangered. Unsustainable harvesting and habitat encroachment contribute to a 60% population reduction over the past 180 years. Despite protection efforts, illegal logging persists, driven by high global demand for mahogany.
URGENT CONSERVATION IMPERATIVE
The IUCN Red List update underscores the urgent need for comprehensive conservation strategies to counteract the escalating threats to global biodiversity. As climate change intensifies existing challenges, concerted efforts are imperative to safeguard diverse ecosystems, ensuring the resilience of species vital for ecological balance, human livelihoods, and the well-being of the planet.
climate and biodiversity crises two sides of the same coin
“The climate and biodiversity crises are two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, climate change is one of the drivers of documented declines in animals, fungi and plants, but on the other, the resilience of nature through recovery and regeneration of species and ecosystems is our most powerful ally to combat accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This Red List update illustrates both the climate-related mechanisms behind declines of fishes and sea turtles, as well as the recovery of scimitar-horned oryx and saiga through proactive conservation action,” said Dr Jon Paul Rodríguez, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
ETHIOPIA
“This update contains assessments of over 80 plant species known from only Ethiopia and is the first fruit of collaboration between Addis Ababa University (AUU), the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Funded by the UK Global Centre for Biodiversity and Climate (GCBC), it highlights the importance of international partnerships in tackling the biodiversity crisis,” said Jack Plummer, Plant Assessment Coordinator at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
“This is an important step towards completing assessments for all Ethiopia’s endemic plant species, over 450 known to date. Endangered species highlighted include Convolvulus vollesenii, a bright blue-flowered creeper, and Cladostigma nigistiae, a white-flowered climber with striking silvery foliage,” said Professor Sebsebe Demissew, Professor of Plant Systematics and Biodiversity at Addis Ababa University, who co-authored many of these IUCN Red List assessments.
“At Senckenberg we are honoured to become a partner of the global IUCN Red List. In the era of Anthropocene biodiversity loss, it is important for natural history museums and working taxonomists to take a strong role not just to document biodiversity but to protect species,” said Professor Julia Sigwart, Chair of the Marine Invertebrate Red List Authority and Head of Malacology at Senckenberg Research Institute and Museum Frankfurt.
“Money raised by Wild Fish supporters enabled this reassessment of Atlantic salmon stocks across the world. The outcome for UK populations, although not unsurprising, is very grim. We need the UK government to give environmental regulators the mandate and resources to address the myriad of issues threatening the survival of Atlantic salmon. The alternative is we risk losing them from our waters altogether,” said Nick Measham, Chief Executive at Wild Fish
