Nature's Backbone at Risk 26 October 2010

Nature's backbone at risk 26 October 2010

The most comprehensive assessment of the "History has shown us that conservation can world's vertebrates confirms an extinction crisis achieve the impossible, as anyone who knows the with one-fifth of species threatened. However, the story of the White Rhinoceros in southern Africa situation would be worse were it not for current knows", remarked Dr Simon Stuart, Chair of IUCN's global conservation efforts, according to a study Species Survival Commission and an author on the launched today at the 10th Conference of the study. "But this is the first time we can demonstrate Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the aggregated positive impact of these successes CBD, in Nagoya, Japan. on the state of the environment."

The study, to be published in the international The study highlights 64 mammal, bird and journal Science, used data for 25,000 species from amphibian species that have improved in status The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, to due to successful conservation action. This investigate the status of the world's vertebrates includes three species that were extinct in the wild (mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fishes) and have since been re-introduced back to nature: and how this status has changed over time. The the California Condor, Gymnogyps californianus, results show that, on average, 50 species of and the Black-footed Ferret, Mustela nigripes, in mammal, bird and amphibian move closer to the United States, and Przewalski's Horse, Equus extinction each year due to the impacts of ferus, in Mongolia. agricultural expansion, logging, over-exploitation, and invasive alien species. Conservation efforts have been particularly successful at combatting invasive alien species on "The 'backbone' of biodiversity is being eroded," islands. The global population of Seychelles said the great American ecologist and writer Magpie-robin, Copsychus sechellarum, increased Professor Edward O. Wilson, at Harvard from fewer than 15 birds in 1965 to 180 in 2006 University. "One small step up the Red List is one through control of introduced predators, like Brown giant leap forward towards extinction. This is just a Rat, Rattus norvegicus, and captive-breeding and small window on the global losses currently taking re-introduction programmes. On Mauritius, six bird place." species have undergone recoveries in status, including the Mauritius Kestrel, Falco punctatus, Southeast Asia has experienced the most dramatic whose population has increased from just four birds recent losses, largely driven by the planting of in 1974 to nearly 1,000. export crops like oil palm, commercial hardwood timber operations, agricultural conversion to rice In South America, protected areas and a paddies, and unsustainable hunting. Parts of combination of the Convention on International Central America, the tropical Andes of South Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the America, and even Australia, have also all Vicuña Convention helped spark the recovery of experienced marked losses, in particular due to the the Vicuña Vicugna vicugna. Similarly, legislation impact of the deadly chytrid fungus on amphibians. enacted to ban commercial whaling has seen the Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, move Whilst the study confirms previous reports of from Vulnerable to Least Concern. Unfortunately, continued losses in biodiversity, it is the first to very few amphibians have yet shown signs of present clear evidence of the positive impact of recovery, but international efforts are escalating, conservation efforts around the globe. Results including a programme to reintroduce the Kihansi show that the status of biodiversity would have Spray Toad, Nectophrynoides asperginis, back into declined by almost 20% if conservation action had the wild in Tanzania. not been taken.

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The authors caution that their study represents only Failure to meet the internationally agreed 2010 a minimum estimate of the true impact of target to reduce biodiversity loss does not mean conservation, highlighting that some 9% of that conservation efforts have been in vain, as this threatened species have increasing populations. study demonstrates. However, the erosion of Their results show that conservation works, given biodiversity has reached such dangerous levels resources and commitment. They also show that that we cannot afford to fail again. Ambitious global responses will need to be substantially targets are needed for 2020, and to meet them will scaled up, because the current level of require urgent and concerted action on a greatly conservation action is outweighed by the expanded scale. It is time for the world's magnitude of threat. In this light, policy-makers at Governments, meeting in Nagoya, to rise effectively the CBD meeting in Nagoya have been calling for a to this global challenge. very significant increase in resources - from extremely low current levels - to make the "We know what has to be done to save individual objectives of the Convention achievable. species from extinction," said Alison Stattersfield, BirdLife's Head of Science and one of the authors "This is clear evidence for why we absolutely must on the paper. "Through BirdLife's Preventing emerge from Nagoya with a strategic plan of action Extinctions Programme we are taking effective - to direct our efforts for biodiversity in the coming and cost-effective - action for the world's Critically decade" said Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director Endangered birds. But much more effort is needed, General of IUCN. "It is a clarion call for all of us - through NGOs, Governments, businesses and governments, businesses, citizens - to mobilize committed individuals working together, to stop the resources and drive the action required. slide towards extinction and start to address the Conservation does work -- but it needs our support, root causes of biodiversity loss." and it needs it fast!" The study involved some 174 authors from 115 The paper highlights that the percentage of species institutions and 38 countries. It was made possible threatened among vertebrates ranges from 13% of by the voluntary contributions of more than 3,000 birds to 41% of amphibians. Although the study scientists under the auspices of IUCN's Species focused on vertebrates, it also reports on the levels Survival Commission, and a growing partnership of of threat among several other groups assessed for organizations, including BirdLife International, the IUCN Red List, including14% of seagrasses, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, 32% of freshwater crayfish, and 33% of reef- Conservation International, NatureServe, Royal building corals. Botanic Gardens Kew, Sapienza Università di Roma, Texas A&M University, Wildscreen, and the The level of threat among cycads is extremely Zoological Society of London. critical, with 63% threatened with extinction. Cycads, the most ancient group of seed plants alive Global figures for 2010.4 IUCN Red List of today, are subject to extremely high levels of illegal Threatened Species: harvesting and trade, and are in danger of going the same way as the dinosaurs. Total species assessed = 55,926

Recently, a UN-sponsored study called The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) Extinct = 791 calculated the cost of losing nature at $2-5 trillion per year, predominantly in poorer parts of the Extinct in the Wild = 63 world. A recent study found one-fifth of more than 5,000 freshwater species in Africa are threatened, Critically Endangered = 3,565 putting the livelihoods of millions of people dependent on these vital resources at risk. Endangered = 5,256

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Vulnerable = 9,530

Near Threatened = 4,014

Total Lower Risk/conservation dependent = 269 [this is an old category that is gradually being phased out of the Red List]

Data Deficient = 8,358

Least Concern = 24,080

More information: For information about more species on the IUCN Red List please visit www.iucnredlist.org

Provided by IUCN APA citation: Nature's backbone at risk (2010, October 26) retrieved 1 October 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2010-10-nature-backbone.html

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