06
Oct 2008 - Barcelona, Spain – Marine mammals,
such as the Narwhal and Irawaddy dolphin,
and land mammals, such as tree kangaroos
were confirmed to be closer to extinction
by IUCN’s updated Red List of Threatened
Species.
The Red List ranks species
according to their population status and
threat levels. It shows the effects that
habitat loss and degradation, over-exploitation,
pollutants and climate change are having
on the world’s species.
“For many species, population
numbers are declining while the number and
intensity of threats are increasing, making
it harder and harder for species to survive,”
said Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF
International’s Species Programme.
The Irrawaddy dolphin
went from data deficient to vulnerable on
the new list, confirming that the dolphin,
found in southeast Asia, is facing serious
threats from bycatch in fisheries, dam development,
deforestation and mining. One population
in the Philippians has total of only 77
individuals.
The narwhal which is
famous for its long ivory tusk, went from
data deficient to near threatened. Narwhals
spend their lives in the arctic waters bordering
Russia, North America, and Greenland and
are threatened by hunting, trade, habitat
loss and toxics and pollution that accumulate
in the Arctic, which affect the health and
reproduction of these whales.
14 tree kangaroo species
are on the Red List with their status ranging
from threatened to critically endangered,
which highlights the fact that the species
are in an overall decline due to deforestation
of their ranges in Australia and New Guinea,
as well as hunting.
But not all species
are “in the red” on the Red List with African
elephants going from being listed as vulnerable
to near threatened because their populations
in eastern and southern Africa are better
off today than in the past when poaching
for ivory was out of control.
“It is encouraging to
see that the African elephant is benefiting
from effective conservation programmes and
ivory trade controls in eastern and southern
Africa, said Dr. Lieberman. “But governments,
range states and conservationists must keep
a diligent eye on forest elephant populations,
which are still dangerously low and seriously
threatened.”
WWF supports use of
the IUCN Red list as an important science-based
conservation tool that should be used across
the globe by communities, governments and
international organizations to drive funding
and decision making.
“Reversal of negative
trends towards extinction is possible when
political motivation is high and when local
communities see the value and benefit from
conserving species,” Dr Lieberman said.
“The case of African elephants is a classic
example of what is possible.”
TRAFFIC, the international
wildlife trade monitoring network - established
by IUCN and WWF - also pointed out that
the Red List shows that trade plays a significant
role in determining a species fate;
“The new IUCN Red List
highlights the urgent conservation priority
of tackling the illegal and unsustainable
trade that is driving some wildlife species
towards extinction,” said Steven Broad,
Executive Director of TRAFFIC.
All 161 grouper species
have been assessed for the first time too,
of which 20 are threatened with extinction,
including the Squaretail Coral Grouper (Plectropomus
areolatus) which is seen as a luxury live
food and is typically fished unsustainably
at its spawning aggregations.
Assessment of reptiles
finds that species like the Cuban Crocodile
(Crocodylus rhombifer) has moved from Endangered
to Critical, because of population declines
caused by illicit hunting for its meat.
Notes:
The Red List is developed by a voluntary
network membership in Species Specialist
groups. WWF works in close cooperation with
IUCN across the globe, through field interventions,
and by providing financial and technical
support to various Species Specialist groups
of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
The IUCN Red List threat
categories are the following, in descending
order of threat:
• Extinct or Extinct in the Wild;
• Critically Endangered, Endangered and
Vulnerable: species threatened with global
extinction;
• Near Threatened: species close to the
threatened thresholds or that would be threatened
without ongoing specific conservation measures;
• Least Concern: species evaluated with
a low risk of extinction;
• Data Deficient: no assessment because
of insufficient data.
WWF’s Living Planet
Index, prepared in collaboration with the
Zoological Society of London, is also a
measure of the health of global biodiversity.
The 2008 Living Planet Report is scheduled
for release on October 29.
About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most
respected independent conservation organizations,
with almost 5 million supporters and a global
network active in over 100 countries. WWF's
mission is to stop the degradation of the
earth's natural environment and to build
a future in which humans live in harmony
with nature, by conserving the world's biological
diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable
natural resources is sustainable, and promoting
the reduction of pollution and wasteful
consumption.
