The second-largest shark species in the world, a bird in Iraq, and a deer found only in Central Asia are among 11 new species recently classified as endangered, announced on November 25.
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A shark caught by fishermen in Gijon, northern Spain |
Around 95 member countries of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) have agreed that many bird and mammal species are facing increasing extinction risks and require enhanced protection.
“These 11 species will be added to the list of approximately 107 migratory animals considered endangered,” said Marco Barbieri, a scientist from CMS. “This means that countries need to coordinate actions to protect these species, such as conservation programs and protective measures,” he stated at the conclusion of the CMS meeting in Kenya’s capital.
The CMS, a treaty signed under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), noted that migratory species are considered more vulnerable than others due to their frequent movements across multiple borders and countries.
UN wildlife experts indicated that the Basking Shark, which can grow up to 10 meters long, is found on the continental shelf of the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean seas, often becoming entangled in fishing nets or colliding with boats in shallow waters.
The Basra Reed Warbler, a small brown and white bird that breeds in the Mesopotamian marshes of southern Iraq, believed to have originated from the Garden of Eden, is also on this list. Experts say that the population of this bird is declining in Iraq due to severe water drainage of the marshes during Saddam Hussein’s regime. The global population of this bird is now estimated to be only between 2,500 and 10,000 individuals.
Another endangered species is the Bukhara Deer, which lives only in arid Central Asian regions and migrates through countries such as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Threatened by habitat loss and possibly environmental pollution, the current population of these deer is around 800-900.
Other species on the endangered list include the Henderson Petrel, Malagasy Pond Heron, Red Knot, Balearic Shearwater, Spotted Sandpiper, and the Short-beaked Common Dolphin.
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