ABU DHABI: Arctic seals and various bird species are facing increasingly severe threats, predominantly from climate change and human activities. This grim assessment comes from an updated list of endangered species, officially released by the world’s leading conservation authority, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The IUCN specifically points to widespread habitat loss, driven by extensive logging and agricultural expansion, as a major danger for bird populations. Meanwhile, seals are primarily imperiled by accelerated global warming and human interventions like burgeoning maritime traffic. Consequently, the hooded seal’s status has been upgraded from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’, and both bearded and harp seals are now categorized as ‘near threatened’.
Grethel Aguilar, the Director General of IUCN, emphasized the urgency of the situation at the World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi. “This crucial global update vividly illustrates the escalating impact human activity has on our planet’s natural systems and climate, with devastating consequences for its inhabitants,” she stated.
The updated IUCN Red List now documents a staggering 172,620 species, with 48,646 of them facing the threat of extinction.
Global warming is systematically destroying the natural habitats essential for cold-dwelling animals, including many seal species. Beyond climate change, other significant risks to these species include increased maritime traffic, mining and oil extraction, industrial fishing, and rampant hunting.
The IUCN report highlights that “global warming is progressing four times faster in the Arctic than in other regions. This alarming rate is drastically diminishing the extent and duration of vital sea ice cover.”
“Ice-dependent seals are not just wildlife; they represent a crucial food source for other animals,” the report adds. They are indispensable ‘keystone species’ within their ecosystems, playing a central role in the food web by consuming fish and invertebrates and facilitating nutrient recycling.
Kit Kovacs, a scientist from the Norwegian Polar Institute, shared a stark observation regarding the Svalbard archipelago, located halfway between Norway and the North Pole. “Just a few decades ago, when I lived there, we observed five months of sea ice cover in areas that are now completely ice-free during winter. It’s incredibly challenging to convey the sheer speed at which the Arctic is transforming,” she remarked.
Birds Under Threat
The IUCN’s comprehensive bird Red List is the culmination of nine years of dedicated work by thousands of experts. Their findings are alarming: “Overall, 61 percent of bird species are experiencing declining populations. This estimate represents a significant increase from 44 percent recorded in 2016.” The study, which assessed 11,185 bird species worldwide, identified that “1,256 (11.5 percent) are now globally threatened.”
This year’s update paid particular attention to regions where the relentless destruction of tropical forests poses an ever-growing threat to avian life. For instance, in Madagascar, 14 species were newly classified as ‘near threatened’, with three others now designated as ‘vulnerable’. Similarly, West Africa saw five more bird species categorized as ‘near threatened’, alongside one additional species in Central America.
Despite the grim outlook, the report did offer one piece of positive news: the green turtle is no longer classified as endangered. This recovery is attributed to “decades of sustained conservation action,” which has led to a 28 percent increase in its population since the 1970s. Nicolas Pilcher, Executive Director of the Marine Research Foundation, emphasized that this success should motivate further action, not breed complacency. “Achieving this significant conservation milestone is not a signal to relax, but rather a catalyst for continued vigilance and effort,” he concluded.