The sturgeon and oarfish are the most endangered group of animals on the planet: 26 species in the world are threatened with extinction.. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s new Red List of Threatened Species, confirmed the disappearance of two in recent years: the Chinese shovelfish and the Yangtze sturgeon. Moreover, bastard sturgeon disappeared from the Tuna and seven other species in the world are currently the most threatened.
The new assessment conducted by the IUCN Sturgeon Specialist Group reveals: Nearly two-thirds of sturgeon and oarfish species are “Critically Endangered”. Highlights of the report continuing loss of freshwater biodiversity and degradation of rivers worldwidehighlights WWF, which is indispensable for people and nature.
Despite theoretically ambitious policies to protect sturgeon species in Europe, including the Pan-European Action Plan for Sturgeon adopted by the Berne Convention and the EU Habitats Directive, The condition of these animals continues to worsen across the continentAs condemned by the NGO.
In fact, seven of the eight European species were already listed as “Critically Endangered.” And sturgeonThe smallest freshwater-only sturgeon has been upgraded to a higher threat category and is now officially classified as “Endangered” by the IUCN.
More: Russian sturgeon declared extinct in Danube, the last refuge of the species in the European Union (EU). This assumes that a species protected under the EU Habitats Directive is extinct on community territory.
reasons for hope
Since the Birds and Habitats Directives came into force in 1979 and 1992 respectively, only one bird species and one subspecies of the mountain goat have disappeared in the EU.
WWF stresses that despite bad news, it still exists There are also reasons for hope. While the subpopulation of the Danube sturgeon in the Aral Sea has already disappeared, and populations in the Sea of Azov and the Caspian Sea have declined, Recently, observations of young Russian sturgeon were made in the Rioni River (Georgia).
Therefore, the recent expansion of a protected area for sturgeon in Rioni and the neighboring Black Sea is now of even greater importance. Additionally, after 30 years of repopulation, the WWF emphasizes: Young sturgeon from the Adriatic documented in Italya species previously thought to be extinct in the wild.
Latter, Incredibly rare Amu-Darya spade-nosed sturgeon found in Uzbekistansuggests that these populations are still breeding and may resurrect after being presumed extinct.
On the other side of the Atlantic, there is positive news that long-term conservation efforts have stabilized and even slightly increased sturgeon populations. pale sturgeon on the Fraser River in the United States.
Sturgeon facing each other wide variety of threats worldwide, including poaching for the illegal trade in caviar and meat, dams closing the migration routes, unsustainable sand and gravel extraction WWF condemns Spain for destroying their spawning grounds and losing their habitats.
restoring habitats
this Restocking measures alone will not be sustainable Those related to the conservation of the habitat, in parallel, also explain the reasons for the decline. holistic approachbrings the NGO to the fore, taking into account the available information at the genetic, biological and ecological level.
IUCN, WSCS and WWF are working with various partners to save these species through direct participation in scientific research, awareness raising and conservation projects to bridge the gap between science and management.
According to Striebel-Greiter, coordinator of the WWF sturgeon initiative, “there are no excuses for current inaction and no one else to blame: unless governments and EU institutions in Europe act now restore river link and protect and restore sturgeon habitats In major rivers, it will be their responsibility to destroy new sturgeon species”.
NGOs are urging sturgeon range states and consumer countries to “stop turning a blind eye to sturgeon extinction” and to evolve. Answers those who know they can help save this iconic species,” concludes Striebel-Greiter.
“We have a choice: to create a future with thriving sturgeon populations and healthy rivers and communities, or to continue today’s failed policies and end dying rivers without sturgeon,” he adds.
Sturgeon authentic “living dinosaurs”well evolved over 200 million years agoWhen continents began to form. This is the fish lived with dinosaurs. And although they’ve adapted to changes since then, they’re practically identical to their prehistoric ancestors.
IUCN Red List: https://www.iucnredlist.org/es/