The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recently updated its Red List, a comprehensive catalogue that assesses the risk of extinction among animals, fungi, and plant species worldwide. This timely update was presented at the 28th Conference of Parties, highlighting the adverse effects of climate change on diverse species. The IUCN Red List now includes 157,190 species, with a staggering 44,016 facing the threat of extinction.
Climate Change as a Major Threat to Diverse Species
Species such as Atlantic salmon and green turtles are increasingly threatened by climate change. The changing climate affects various aspects of these species’ life cycle, including hatching success and food sources availability. The IUCN Director General has stressed the need for urgent and ambitious climate action to counteract the ongoing decline in species.
Freshwater Fish Assessment
The recent update also includes the first comprehensive assessment of global freshwater fish species. A worrying 25% of these species face the risk of extinction due to a combination of climate change, pollution, overfishing, and the introduction of invasive species.
The Impact on Atlantic Salmon
Specifically, Atlantic salmon, a ray-finned fish that inhabits both fresh and saltwater environments of the North Atlantic Ocean basin, has seen a population decline of 23% between 2006 and 2020. This has moved the species from the ‘Least Concern’ category to ‘Near Threatened’.
Green Turtles and Mahogany Trees Under Threat
Central South Pacific and East Pacific green turtle populations have been classified as ‘Endangered’ and ‘Vulnerable’, respectively. Meanwhile, big-leaf mahogany, a popular timber tree, has moved from ‘Vulnerable’ to ‘Endangered’ due to unsustainable harvesting, illegal logging, and urban encroachment contributing to a 60% reduction in the species over the last 180 years.
Conservation Success Stories
Despite the growing threats, there have been some conservation success stories. The scimitar-horned oryx, a desert antelope, has moved from ‘Extinct in the Wild’ to ‘Endangered’, thanks to effective reintroduction efforts in the Republic of Chad. Similarly, the Saiga antelope has improved from ‘Critically Endangered’ to ‘Near Threatened’ owing to conservation measures.
IUCN Red List: A Global Resource
The IUCN Red List serves as a critical barometer of global biodiversity health, providing in-depth insights into species characteristics, threats, and conservation measures. It plays an essential role in informing conservation decisions and creating policies, with nine categories defining the extinction risk of each species evaluated.
The IUCN Green Status of Species
As part of the Red List, the IUCN also includes the Green Status of Species. It assesses the recovery of species populations and gauges their conservation success using eight different categories.
A Key Indicator for Sustainable Development Goals
The IUCN Red List is not only used to monitor species health, but it’s also an important indicator for the Sustainable Development Goals and the Aichi Targets, highlighting its broader relevance in addressing global environmental challenges.
Invasive Species Specialist Group & Global Invasive Species Database
The Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) is an essential part of the IUCN. Established in 1994, ISSG operates under the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the IUCN, managing the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). This resource provides vital information on invasive alien species worldwide, assisting in understanding and addressing the threats posed by these species.
