The impact of climate change is putting nearly 10% of marine species at risk of extinction, according to the Red List report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The report was released coinciding with the United Nations summit on nature in Montreal, where Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries to end “the devastation” and adopt an agreement to halt and reverse the loss of natural habitats.
Manatees are one of the endangered species. (Photo: Reuters)
More than 1,550 out of 17,903 marine species assessed by the IUCN are at risk of extinction.
Mr. Craig Hilton-Taylor, a representative of the IUCN, stated, “This shows the severe devastating impact on marine species. Underwater, we cannot truly see what is happening.”
The expert noted that the rate of marine species facing extinction may be much higher than current data suggests, as the species analyzed so far tend to be common and not currently threatened.
Manatee populations, a gray herbivorous mammal, have dwindled to fewer than 250 adult individuals in East Africa and under 900 in the French territory of New Caledonia, the IUCN reported.
The Red List also examined abalone species for the first time and found that approximately 44% of these species are facing extinction. Increasingly severe marine heatwaves are depleting food sources for marine creatures and causing mass fish die-offs.
“The dire situation of these species is shocking and compels us to take urgent action,” said Amanda Vincent, chair of the IUCN’s Marine Conservation Committee.
