Manmade ruin adds 7,000 species to endangered 'Red List'

JULY 18, 2019

by Patrick Galey

The Roloway Monkey of Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana has fewer than 2,000 left in the wild

Mankind's destruction of nature is driving species to the brink of extinction at an "unprecedented" rate, the leading wildlife conservation body warned Thursday as it added more than 7,000 animals, fish and plants to its endangered "Red List".

From the canopies of tropical forests to the ocean floor, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said iconic species of primates, rays, fish and trees were now classified as critically endangered.

The group has now assessed more than 105,000 species worldwide, around 28,000 of which risk extinction.

While each group of organisms face specific threats, human behaviour, including overfishing and deforestation, was the biggest driver of plummeting populations.

"Nature is declining at rates unprecedented in human history," said IUCN acting director general, Grethel Aguilar. "We must wake up to the fact that conserving nature's diversity is in our interest."

In May the United Nations released its generational assessment of the state of the environment. It made for grim reading.

The report warned that as many as one million species were now at risk of extinction, many within decades, as human consumption of freshwater, fossil fuels and other natural resources skyrockets.

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Dozens of British insects put on Red List over extinction fears

35 of 283 leaf beetle species found in the UK have been assessed as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable to extinction

Press Association

Thursday 12 February 2015 15.36 GMT

Dozens of species of insects have been put on a “Red List” over fears they could become extinct in Britain.

Research into two groups of scarce and threatened insects has led to 35 out of 283 species collectively known as leaf beetles being placed on the Red List as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable to extinction.

Three have already become extinct in Britain in the last 100 years, while seven are considered critically endangered and possibly extinct in Britain as they have not been seen since 1950, the analysis showed.

The second group of insects assessed, stoneflies, which are aquatic species found in rivers and streams, fared slightly better, according to the research by government agency Natural England in collaboration with invertebrate charity Buglife.

Out of 34 species found in Britain, one is extinct, one is vulnerable to extinction and another joins the red list as critically endangered.

Conservationists said both groups of insects are very sensitive to their environment, with leaf beetles often found only on certain plants in particular places while stonefly larvae are affected by types of pollution.

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More than 90% of lemurs face extinction, IUCN warns

Updated 'red list' describes the primates as one of the most threatened groups of animals on Earth 

Jessica Aldred

The Guardian, Thursday 12 June 2014

More than 90% of lemurs are facing extinction, according to the latest global assessment of the world’s most threatened species.

The update to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) “red list”, which contains more than 73,000 species around the world, also warned that temperate slipper orchids and the Japanese eel have joined the list of the 22,103 species now classed by experts as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable to extinction.

With 90 species of lemur now classed as being at risk of extinction (91%), the primates are one of the most threatened groups of animals on Earth. Of the 99 known species – which live only on the island of Madagascar off the coast of east Africa – 22 are critically endangered, including the largest living lemur, the large-bodied Indri (Indri indri). Almost half (48 species) are endangered, including the world’s smallest primate, Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae). Twenty lemurs were listed as vulnerable to extinction.

Lemurs are threatened by the destruction of their tropical forest habitat in Madagascar, where political instability and rising levels of poverty in the past 20 years have accelerated illegal logging. As much as 90% of the original natural vegetation on the island has been destroyed and what remains is severely fragmented. Lemurs – members of the primate family – are also being hunted for food.

Dr Thomas Lacher, of Texas A&M University, said: “The high level of threat among lemurs is particularly troubling and calls for significant conservation action. These distinctive primates serve a critical role in the threatened ecosystems of Madagascar. They also represent an important source of tourism revenue for the country, and as a result are a clear case where conservation can provide local economic benefits.”

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Lizard, skink and fish declared extinct as porpoise and snails cling to the edge

Nearly 5000 species added to Red List

July 2013. The latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species shows worrying declines for freshwater shrimps, cone snails and the Yangtze Finless Porpoise. The Santa Cruz Pupfish, a lizard known as the Cape Verde Giant Skink and a species of freshwater shrimp have been declared Extinct.

With this update, 4,807 species have been added to The IUCN Red List bringing the total of assessed species to 70,294, of which 20,934 are threatened with extinction.

Yangtze Finless Porpoise - Critically Endangered

The Yangtze Finless Porpoise, one of the world's few remaining freshwater cetaceans, has been declining by more than 5% annually since the 1980s and it has been assessed as Critically Endangered. Increasing threats to these porpoises include illegal fishing, intense vessel traffic, sand mining and pollution.

Second river dolphin to become extinct in China?

Prof. Jonathan Baillie, Director of Conservation Programmes at ZSL said: "The Baiji (a unique freshwater dolphin) only recently went extinct on the Yangtze River. If we now lose the Yangtze Finless Porpoise, future generations will undoubtedly wonder if we were ignorant, incompetent or both."

White-lipped peccary

The White-lipped Peccary (Tayassu pecari) - a member of the pig family found in Central and South America - has declined by 89% in Costa Rica and 84% in Mexico and Guatemala and is now listed as Vulnerable. Hunting and habitat loss explain some of the decline but many cases of mysterious disappearance of the species have been documented in several regions with disease suspected to be the primary cause.

Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/iucn-extinct013.html

Threatened Animal Update: The Good, the Bad and, Well, There’s a Lot of Bad

With about 1.7 million described species on the planet and about 20,000 new species discovered each year, it's nearly impossible to keep up with how all our fellow Earth-dwellers are faring. But that's exactly what the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has been doing since 1963. Since then, the IUCN has assessed the conservation status of around 70,923 species, including virtually all known mammals and birds and a healthy dose of amphibians. 

Now the IUCN has just released its latest update on their well-known Red List, and as might be expected, the results range from hopeful to downright scary. 

Let's start with the good news. Despite the threats posed to amphibians by a changing climate and the deadly Chytrid fungus, the discovery of several new subpopulations of Costa Rica's Brook Frog and Green-eyed Frog are giving scientists hope that these frogs aren't on their way out after all.

Read on

Soon, a Kerala Red List of threatened species

Kerala will have its own Red List of threatened plants and animals shortly.

The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) and a group of bird enthusiasts have kicked off separate programmes for preparing the conservation status of the flora and fauna, including birds of the State, along the lines of the global conservation status assessments carried out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The IUCN red list classifies species into extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, near threatened and least concern after globally evaluating the threat faced by them.

The list, according to IUCN, aims to “provide information and analyses on the status, trends and threats to species in order to inform and catalyse action for biodiversity conservation.” It is also intended to “establish a baseline from which to monitor the change in status of species, provide a global context for the establishment of conservation priorities at the local level, monitor, on a continuing basis, the status of a representative selection of species (as biodiversity indicators) that cover all the major ecosystems of the world.”

Myristica malabarica, a tree found in swamp forests of Kerala, has been listed as vulnerable in the list whereas bird species namely painted stork and black-headed ibis were categorised as near threatened by the IUCN. While Malabar civet, a mammal has been listed as Critically Endangered, Nilgiri tahr, the mountain ungulate species, was listed as an endangered species.

Last year, 132 species of plants and animals from the country were listed as critically endangered, the most threatened category, in the list. Two plant species, including Euphorbia mayuranthanii, found in Kerala were reported as extinct in the wild.Kerala will have its own Red List of threatened plants and animals shortly.

The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) and a group of bird enthusiasts have kicked off separate programmes for preparing the conservation status of the flora and fauna, including birds of the State, along the lines of the global conservation status assessments carried out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The IUCN red list classifies species into extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, near threatened and least concern after globally evaluating the threat faced by them.

The list, according to IUCN, aims to “provide information and analyses on the status, trends and threats to species in order to inform and catalyse action for biodiversity conservation.” It is also intended to “establish a baseline from which to monitor the change in status of species, provide a global context for the establishment of conservation priorities at the local level, monitor, on a continuing basis, the status of a representative selection of species (as biodiversity indicators) that cover all the major ecosystems of the world.”

Myristica malabarica, a tree found in swamp forests of Kerala, has been listed as vulnerable in the list whereas bird species namely painted stork and black-headed ibis were categorised as near threatened by the IUCN. While Malabar civet, a mammal has been listed as Critically Endangered, Nilgiri tahr, the mountain ungulate species, was listed as an endangered species.

Last year, 132 species of plants and animals from the country were listed as critically endangered, the most threatened category, in the list. Two plant species, including Euphorbia mayuranthanii, found in Kerala were reported as extinct in the wild.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/soon-a-kerala-red-list-of-threatened-species/article4815253.ece

Reptiles Repatriated to Philippines - via Herp Digest

Wednesday, August 1, 2012 - TRAFFIC article

 A Reticulated python was among more than 100 reptiles repatriated to the Philippines after they were seized in Hong Kong. Click image to enlarge © Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1st August 2012 - Over a hundred endangered reptiles confiscated in Hong Kong were flown home to the Philippines today, while the second-time offender who smuggled them, has been slapped with a six-week jail sentence.

The reptiles were discovered in June, in the luggage of a 22-year-old man, and included 43 Philippine Forest Turtles, 46 Southeast Asian Box Turtles, 19 Mindanao Water Monitor Lizards and one Reticulated Python.

The Philippine Forest Turtle Siebenrockiella leytensis is considered a Critically Endangered species on the IUCN Red List.

He was intercepted at the arrival hall of the Hong Kong international airport on June 14 and was prosecuted by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance. 

Under the law, he could have been sentenced to a maximum penalty of HKD 5 million and two years imprisonment.

Alfred Wong, Endangered Species Protection Officer of the AFCD told TRAFFIC that the same man was intercepted for a similar offence in February this year.

In the earlier case, he was caught with 60 reptiles from the Philippines including 20 Philippine Forest Turtles, and was fined HK$8,000 (USD1,030).

“While the authorities are to be congratulated for nabbing this smuggler, it is unfortunate that the penalties given were not higher, much higher, so as to be a more significant deterrent,” said Chris R. Shepherd, Deputy Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.  

“Criminals such as these are committing crimes that in many cases cannot be undone.  Species such as the Philippine Forest Turtle are nearing extinction in the wild, and therefore every effort needs to be made to ensure the poaching, smuggling and illegal buying comes to an end.”

Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) assisted the AFCD with the temporary holding, and care of the reptiles on both occasions. 

All the animals are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).  The Philippine Forest Turtles and the Mindanao Water Monitor Lizards are endemic species, found only in the Philippines.

After leaving Hong Kong, most of the reptiles will be held at the rescue centre of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines before being released back into the wild. The 39 surviving Philippine Forest Turtles, endemic to the Province of Palawan, will be turned over to the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan who will subsequently turnover to the Katala Foundation Incorporated for quarantine. The cost of repatriation is being borne by the Philippine Government.

Red list changes highlight threats from over-exploitation (Via Herp Digest)

Red list changes highlight threats from over-exploitation
The latest IUCN Red List finds an alarming 40% of Madagascar's terrestrial reptiles are threatened with extinction

Gland, Switzerland, 11/10/11-the latest update of the world's list of threatened animals and plant species-the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species-carried out by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) reveals mixed fortunes for many species.

"This update offers both good and bad news on the status of many species around the world," says Jane Smart, Director, IUCN Global Species Programme.

"We have the knowledge that conservation works if executed in a timely manner, yet, without strong political will in combination with targeted efforts and resources, the wonders of nature and the services it provides can be lost forever."

The revised list finds an alarming 40% of Madagascar's terrestrial reptiles are threatened. TRAFFIC has drawn attention to the rampant illegal trade in many of the country's threatened reptile species, which unless addressed will undermine the laudable creation of conservation areas to protect species like Tarzan's Chameleon Calumma tarzan, Bizarre-nosed Chameleon Calumma hafahafa and Limbless Skink Paracontias fasika.

Although the number of plant species assessed remains relatively low, some have deteriorated in status, like Taxus contorta, which has declined from Vulnerable to Endangered because of over-harvesting. In 2007, TRAFFIC documented China's role in the continuing and unsustainable trade in wild Yew trees in the Genus Taxus, whose bark and needles are harvested for the production of anti-cancer medicines.
Others, like the Coco de Mer from the Seychelles-known for its supposed aphrodisiac properties-have declined partly because although all collection and sale of its seed is highly regulated, there is thought to be a significant black market trade in its seed kernels.

The assessment of the world's tuna species is particularly serious, with five of the eight tuna species in the threatened or Near Threatened categories. TRAFFIC has highlighted the over-fishing of some tuna species, which is placing them at risk of extinction.

26 recently discovered amphibian species have been assessed for the first time, including two-the Blessed Poison Frog Ranitomeya benedicta and Summers' Poison Frog Ranitomeya summersi that are classified as Vulnerable and Endangered respectively. Both are threatened through a combination of habitat loss and harvesting for the international pet trade.

The ongoing poaching of rhinos is also reflected in the revised Red List, with the status of a number of subspecies deteriorating. It includes formal confirmation of the extinction of the Western Black Rhino Diceros bicornis longipes.

"Even a quick perusal of the threats facing the world's wild plants and animals identified through the IUCN Red List process reveal the problems caused by unsustainble trade and the danger it poses as a major driver of extinction," said Steven Broad, Executive Director of TRAFFIC.

Arabian oryx moved from IUCN Endangered list – Many new entries

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/arabian-oryx011.html#cr

June 2011. The regal Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx), which was hunted to near extinction, is now facing a more secure future according to the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. Its wild population now stands at 1,000 individuals.

"To have brought the Arabian Oryx back from the brink of extinction is a major feat and a true conservation success story, one which we hope will be repeated many times over for other threatened species," says Ms Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Director General of the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi. "It is a classic example of how data from the IUCN Red List can feed into on-the-ground conservation action to deliver tangible and successful results."

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Alaotra grebe declared extinct and 12.5% of bird species declared endangered

May 2010. The latest assessment of the extinction threat facing the world's birds states shows the total number of bird species facing global extinction now stands at 1240 species (around an eighth of the world's 10027 bird species). This is a rise of 21 from last year's assessment.




Alaotra grebe from Madagascar
The publication of the 2010 IUCN Red List update for birds, by BirdLife International, has also confirmed the extinction of the Alaotra grebe, a type of small water bird previously confined to a tiny area of Madagascar. The grebe's demise brings the total number of bird species thought to have become extinct since 1600 to 132. This species declined rapidly after carnivorous fish were introduced to the lakes where it lived. This, along with the use of nylon gill-nets by fishermen - which caught and drowned birds - has driven this species into the abyss.

Some successes - Trend is downward
Dr Tim Stowe is the RSPB's International Director. Commenting on the current extinction crisis facing the world's birds, he said: "The confirmation of the extinction of yet another bird species is further evidence that we are not doing enough in the fight to protect the world's wildlife. Although there are some key successes, overall the trend is downward, bringing more species year on year to the brink of extinction and beyond."

25 species added to the Redlist
In total 25 species of bird have joined the list of those facing global extinction, while only three have dropped from the list because of an improvement in their status or a reduction in the threat they face. Just under half of the species were added to the list because they are newly-recognised species, such as two buntings from the UK Overseas Territory of Tristan da Cunha and a species of seabird recently described from the Azores. However, 13 species have joined the list because of a genuine deterioration in their conservation status.

Azores bullfinch numbers up

Among the good news in this report is the improvement in the status of the Azores bullfinch - a finch found only on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. The RSPB has worked alongside its BirdLife International partner in Portugal, SPEA, and others to turn around the fortunes of this species, which has been threatened by the encroachment of non-native plants into its native habitat. As a result of removing the threat, the threat status of the Azores bullfinch has been lowered from Critically Endangered to Endangered.

Dr Tim Stowe added: "This is a remarkable example of conservation action succeeding in turning the tide for a highly threatened species. Where there is commitment and financing we can save species. We have the knowledge and will, but there needs to be better funding globally to address the loss of species."

Alaotra grebe sightings
Alaotra Grebe was known only from Madagascar where it was known chiefly from Lake Alaotra. The species was probably incapable of prolonged flight, so in all likelihood never occurred very far from Lake Alaotra. There have been no direct observations since 12 were seen at Lake Alaotra in December 1982, and two in September 1985. Individuals with some characters of the species (probably hybrids with Little Grebe, or their descendents) were also seen on Lake Alaotra in 1986 and 1988, but by 1999 none were left. The most recent surveys in the region in 2009 by Conservation International and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust failed to find any grebes. It is now highly unlikely that any Alaotra Grebes survive.

Critically Endangered species
In total, three species have been uplisted to Critically Endangered (Zapata Rail Cyanolimnas cerverai, White-bellied Cinclodes Cinclodes palliatus, Black-winged Starling Sturnus melanopterus) and three have been downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered (Chatham Albatross Thalassarche eremita, Yellow-eared Parrot Ognorhynchus icterotis, Azores Bullfinch Pyrrhula murina), one has been reclassified from Critically Endangered to Not Recognised (Entre Rios Seedeater Sporophila zelichi) and one has been uplisted from Critically Endangered to Extinct (Alaotra Grebe Tachybaptus rufolavatus).

Redlist changes 2010

Other key changes to the 2010 IUCN Red List for birds facing global extinction include:

Corsican nuthatch and the recently-recognised Monteiro's storm-petrel -which is confined to the Azores - are added to the list of those birds facing extinction in Europe. Twenty-seven species of European bird are now recognised as facing global extinction.

Laysan albatross is removed from the list following an improved understanding about the bird's population. The Chatham albatross from New Zealand has also been downlisted from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable for the same reason.

The recent recognition of Inaccessible bunting and Nightingale bunting from the two islands sharing their names in the UK overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha brings the total number of bird species facing extinction within the UK Overseas Territories to 33.

The addition of the great knot and far eastern curlew (two species of migratory wading bird reliant on wetland habitats along the eastern seaboard of Asia) is a sign that the wetlands and the wildlife of this region are increasingly in trouble. The destruction of intertidal mudflats at Saemangeum, in South Korea, correlated to a reduction of one fifth of the world population of great knot, following the loss of one of the bird's most important migratory stop-over sites.

Photo credit: Chris Rose