one of four types freshwater fish in danger of extinctionAccording to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it conducted a global assessment of these fish when compiling the Red List of threatened species for the first time.
In the framework of the Dubai climate summit COP28, the IUCN published the updated list, which includes 157,190 species, 44,016 of which (28%). 2,000 more than previous reviewThey are in danger of extinction.
IUCN director general Grethel Aguilar warned that the decline of species is an example of the devastation caused by warming, stating that the update shows the strong connections between climate and biodiversity crises and that these crises must be addressed jointly.
What threatens fish?
The first comprehensive assessment of the world’s freshwater fish species reveals that 3,086 (25%) of 14,898 species analyzed are at risk of extinction, with at least 17% affected by the global pandemic. Climate change due to reduced flows, increased presence of seawater in rivers or seasonal changes caused by this.
Threats were also added to this pollutionAffecting 57% of freshwater fish species in danger of extinction; dams and water extraction (affecting 45%), overfishing (25%), and invasive species and diseases (33%).
Freshwater fish represent more than half of the known fish species in the world.According to Kathy Hughes, co-chair of UICE and an expert on the subject, it is “an incomprehensible diversity, given that freshwater ecosystems concentrate only 1% of aquatic habitat and are vital to the resilience of ecosystems.”
Therefore warranty freshwater ecosystems are well managed and continue to flow freely with sufficient and quality water “it is essential to halt species decline and sustain food security, livelihoods and the economy.”
Atlantic salmon case
Among the species studied Atlantic salmon goes from least concern to near threatened. YesYour population decreased by 23% between 2006 and 2020 Due to the multiple threats posed during its migrations between seas and rivers, its existence is limited to a small part of the rivers where it lived a century ago in Northern Europe and North America.
Climate change is affecting all stages of their life cycle, affecting the development of young salmon, reducing prey availability, and allowing invasive exotic species to expand their ranges.
Dams and other obstacles block access to breeding and feeding grounds and water pollution and sedimentation, mainly from logging and agriculture, are causing increased juvenile salmon mortality. Additionally, fish farm escapes threaten many wild populations.
Because the risk of extinction is very high green turtles Central South Pacific and Eastern Pacific (Chelonia mydasClimate change is a threat as higher temperatures cause lower hatching success, rising sea levels put nests at risk of flooding and drowning of hatchlings, and seagrass meadows are endangered.
Success Stories
The report also includes “conservation achievements”. scimitar-horned antelope (oryx), moving from “extinct in the wild” to “endangered” Thank you for the efforts to reintroduce it in Chad.
Status saiga antelope (Statarica aiga), Kazakhstan (98% of the entire population), Mongolia, Russia, and Uzbekistan, moving from “critically endangered” to “near threatened.”
Mahogany is in danger
According to the same source, big leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylaThe tree, one of the world’s most sought-after timber trees, has moved from “vulnerable” to “endangered” due to increased commercial interest.
New research reveals presence in Central and South America, according to IUCN reduced by 60% Over the last 180 years, due to unsustainable harvesting of its valuable wood and agricultural and urban encroachment of the tropical forests in which it grows.
Mahogany continues to be sought after in the United States, Western Europe, and China to make high-quality furniture, plywood, ornamental and decorative elements, and musical instruments.
Although it is protected by national and international legislation and the efforts of all rangeland states, illegal logging and trade continues to exist due to intense demand.