IUCN red list reveals destruction of wildlife, tree tops at ocean floor | Environment

From the treetops to the depths of the oceans, the destruction of wildlife by humanity continues to drive many species to extinction, the last "red list" indicating that a third of the species badessed are threatened.

Habitat destruction and bushmeat hunting led to the decline of seven primates, while overfishing pushed two families of extraordinary rays to the edge of the precipice. Pollution, dams and excessive abstraction of fresh water are causing a serious decline in the fluvial fauna of rivers, from Mexico to Japan, while illegal logging is ravaging the rosewoods of Madagascar. that the disease decimates the American elm.

The Red List, established by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is the most reliable badessment of the status of species. The list released Thursday adds nearly 9,000 new species, bringing to 105,732 the total number of species, although it only takes a fraction of the millions of millions of dollars. 39 species living on Earth. No species was recorded as having improved its status.

A historic global health check published in May concluded that human civilization was threatened by the accelerated decline of Earth's natural life support systems. Wildlife populations have dropped 60% since 1970 and plant extinctions are occurring at a frightening pace, according to scientists.

"Nature is retreating at an unprecedented rate in the history of humanity," said Jane Smart, director of IUCN's Biodiversity Conservation Group. She added that decisive action was needed to stop this decline, the summit of the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity, to be held next year in China, being considered crucial.

The red list highlights the fate of giant cunettes and guitarfish, known as rhinoceros rays because of their elongated snouts. They are now the most endangered marine fish families in the world, with each of the 16 species threatened with extinction, which means that they are about to disappear. Intensified and unregulated fishing is to blame, as rays are generally caught as bycatch.

Of the seven species of primates threatened with extinction, six are found in West Africa, where deforestation and game hunting are commonplace. There are only 2,000 roloway monkeys left in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, which means that their population is extremely small. Their relatively large size and the value of their flesh and skin have made them a prime target for hunters.

Mankind's thirst for fresh water, especially for agriculture, has a particularly important impact on the fauna of rivers and lakes. The red list update reveals that more than half of the freshwater fish in Japan and over one third in Mexico are now threatened with extinction. Recent research has shown that two-thirds of the world's major rivers no longer flow freely.

"The loss of these freshwater fish species would deprive billions of people of an essential source of food and income, and could impact entire ecosystems," said William Darwall, head of the IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Unit.

The red list update has also added 500 species of deep-sea bone fish, such as bioluminescent lantern fish, threatened by deep-sea fishing, oil and gas drilling, and exploitation of fish. seabed. The snail is the first mollusk living in the deep sea hydrothermal vents to be added to the list. It is considered endangered.

IUCN has conducted new badessments for most of the dry forest trees of Madagascar, including 23 species of rosewood and rosewood, and found that 90% are threatened. Their wood is prized for furniture and is the most clandestine wild product in the world. The elm of America has been listed for the first time on the red list as being endangered. The previously common tree has declined over the decades due to an invasive fungal pathogen, Dutch elm disease.

"Invasive diseases, along with air pollution and climate change, have decimated the populations of many North American tree species that once provided abundant food to native wildlife, as well as a picturesque beauty" said Healy Hamilton of NatureServe, a network of biodiversity scientists.

Mushrooms are a growing feature of the list, as the update reveals that at least 15 species that grow in the traditional countryside of many European countries are now at risk of extinction. The beautiful bright red wax cap, which is found in the UK and Germany, has suffered from the fact that semi-natural grbadlands have been converted to intensive agriculture.

Other species added include the Hungarian birch mouse, now extinct in 98% of its former range due to intensive agriculture, and the Oku Lake Frog Frog, formerly the frog. the most abundant at Oku Lake in Cameroon, but possibly extinct due to a devastating fungus that has ravaged amphibians around the world.

"The loss of species and climate change are the two great challenges that humanity faces in this century," said Lee Hannah of Conservation International. The red list addresses both, he said, including the threat of global warming in badessing the risk of extinction. "The results are clear, we must act now on both."