IUCN ‘Redlist’ update

IUCN “Redlist” update

Context: 902 species are officially extinct according to the latest Red List brought out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at the World Conservation Congress in Marseille.

• The Red List also shows that 30 per cent of the species (38,543) that it assessed (138,374) face the threat of extinction. 902 species are officially extinct according to the latest Red List brought out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at the World Conservation Congress in Marseille

Atlantic bluefin tuna

• The Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) moved from endangered to least concern while the Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) moved from critically endangered to endangered.
• The albacore (Thunnus alalunga) and yellowfin tunas (Thunnus albacares) both moved from near threatened to least concern.
• Atlantic Bluefin tuna, which originated in the Mediterranean, had increased by at least 22 per cent over the last four decades.
• Its smaller native western Atlantic population, which spawned in the Gulf of Mexico, had declined by more than half. The yellowfin tuna meanwhile continued to be overfished in the Indian Ocean.
• The Pacific Bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) moved from vulnerable to near threatened due to the availability of newer stock assessment data and models.
• Other tuna species like the bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) remain vulnerable while the skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) remains least concern.

Shark and ray species

• The update Red List also showed that 37 per cent of the world’s shark and ray species were threatened with extinction.
• It added that all of the threatened shark and ray species were overfished, with 31 per cent further affected by loss and degradation of habitat and 10 per cent affected by climate change.

Komodo dragon

• The world’s largest living lizard, the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), has been moved from vulnerable to endangered.
• The species is endemic to Indonesia and occurs only in the World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park and neighbouring Flores.
• Rising global temperature and subsequent sea levels are expected to reduce the Komodo dragon’s suitable habitat by at least 30 per cent in the next 45 years.
• In addition, Komodo dragons living outside protected areas in Flores are threatened by significant habitat loss due to ongoing human activities

What is a redlist?

• Established in 1964, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus and plant species.
• The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity. The IUCN Red List is used by government agencies, wildlife departments, conservation-related non-governmental organisations (NGOs), According to the list, biodiversity is declining. Currently, there are more than 138,300 species on The IUCN Red List, with more than 38,500 species threatened with extinction, including 41% of amphibians, 37% of sharks and rays, 34% of conifers, 33% of reef building corals, 26% of mammals and 14% of birds.