The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will publish its latest Red List of endangered wildlife species on 29 October.
The organization, headquartered in Switzerland, has updated the list to coincide with the Conference on Biological Diversity (COP 16), which is being held in Cali, Colombia.
According to the latest list, out of the 1,66,000 species assessed, about 46,000 species are facing the threat of extinction.
These include broad-billed sandpipers, which are migratory birds that breed in northeastern Siberia and visit Japan.
These birds were previously classified as being of “least concern”, but are now rated as “vulnerable”, the third most serious status for an endangered species.
This is because their population is estimated to have decreased by more than 30 percent during the last three generations, i.e. 13 years.
They are threatened by development of coastal areas of their breeding sites, migration stopovers and winter habitats, as well as the spread of invasive non-native plant species that destroy tidal zones.
The status of giant clams that live on the seafloor of Pacific Ocean coral reefs has been upgraded from “vulnerable” to “critically endangered”, just one step away from extinction in the wild.
Giant clams appear in the popular Nintendo game “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”, and have shells measuring over a meter in length. This species is in danger due to excessive fishing.
Hippocampus hama, known as Himetatsu, is a species of seahorse that was first identified in 2017.
They are found in waters off Japan and South Korea and have been evaluated and classified as “Vulnerable” for the first time in the updated Red List.
It was told in the Red List that due to land reclamation and marine pollution, the natural habitat of their eelgrass and seaweed is decreasing.
Himetatsu are seen in waters off the coast of Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, which have recovered from organic mercury pollution.
The city has used Himetatsu in its logo to advertise its restored water quality.
This summer, a marine facility named after Himetatsu opened in the city, where viewing events for this seahorse species are held.
Many coral reefs off the coast of Japan have also been added to the red list.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that 99 percent of coral reefs will die if temperatures rise two degrees compared to pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
On the other hand, the status of Pryor’s woodpeckers, found on the main island of Okinawa, has been downgraded from “critically endangered” to “endangered”.
The numbers of this species were decreasing due to the destruction of forest habitats.
However, with Yambaru Forest being declared a National Park in 2016 and a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 2021, IUCN is confident that deforestation will not continue.
Source : palpalindia
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