Source: IUCN
The latest update for International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species highlights a range of threats affecting marine species, including illegal and unsustainable fishing, pollution, climate change and disease. Of the 17,903 marine plant and animal species assessed by the IUCN, more than 1,550 are at risk of extinction—nearly 10%. According to IUCN Director General Dr. Bruno Oberle, the update shows “a perfect storm of unsustainable human activity that is wreaking havoc on marine life globally.”
Manatees are listed as “Less Endangered” globally, but populations in East Africa and New Caledonia are now listed in the IUCN Red List as “Critically Endangered” and “Validable” respectively. There are less than 250 adults in East Africa and less than 900 in New Caledonia. In the former case, unintentional fishing with gear is the biggest problem, while poaching is the main threat in the latter case. Boat injuries, seagrass habitat destruction and the effects of climate change are among the other threats dugong face.
Twenty of the world’s 54 abalone species—about 44%—have been included in the IUCN Red List as threatened with extinction. The main threats are unsustainable mining and poaching. Heat waves in the sea have exacerbated abalone diseases and also destroyed the algae that abalone depend on for food, while pollution from agricultural and industrial activities has caused the harmful algal blooms, wiping out many populations.
A final example is the pillar coral, which is found throughout the Caribbean, which has changed from “Near Endangered” to “Critically Endangered” in the IUCN Red List. Coral tissue loss to rocks, a highly contagious disease that has emerged over the past four years, is the most pressing threat. Corals are also weakened by rising sea surface temperatures as well as excess fertilizers, sewage and antibiotics dumped into the sea.
Ashleigh McGovern, Vice President, Ocean Center at Conservation International, said: “With the IUCN Red List update on the state of marine species, it is clear that business as usual is no longer there. is another option. “Human activity has had devastating effects on marine ecosystems and biodiversity, but it can also be harnessed to promote action for survival, equity and climate justice. Queen. If we are to secure a new future for the world’s oceans and the essential biodiversity they contain, we must act now.”
Learn more about IUCN Red Book here.
