More than 800 species of plants and animals have become extinct in the past five centuries, and there are now 17,000 species threatened with extinction.  These are the findings of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), based in Gland, Switzerland.

The study by the NGO, considered to be the ‘global gold standard’ for monitoring the conservation status, trends of species and the threats they face worldwide, shows that the international community has failed to meet conservation targets of 2010 promoting biodiversity-maintenance, a commitment made by most countries in 2002.

The project to assess the world’s mammals was conducted with the help of more than 1,800 scientists from over 130 countries.  The IUCN Red List now includes 44,838 species, of which 16,928 are threatened with extinction (38%). Of these, 3,246 are in the highest category of threat, Critically Endangered, 4,770 are Endangered and 8,912 are Vulnerable to extinction.

Results

The most comprehensive assessment of the world’s mammals has confirmed an extinction crisis, with almost one in four at risk of disappearing forever.  The study has shown that at least 1,141 of the 5,487 mammals on Earth are threatened with extinction. Among the newest additions to the list of animals in serious danger of extinction are the Iberian Lynx, China’s Père Davids Deer, Cuba’s Little Earth Hutia the Tasmanian Devil, the latter moving from Least Concern to Endangered after its entire global population declined by more than 60% in the last 10 years due to a fatal infectious facial cancer.

Amphibian Life

Amphibians are facing an extinction crisis too, with 366 species added to the IUCN Red List this year. There are now 1,983 species (32%) either threatened or extinct.  The Caspian Seal has been re-categorized from Vulnerable to Endangered, its population declining by 90% in the last 100 years due to unsustainable hunting and habitat degradation. The Squaretail Coral Grouper  from the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific has been listed as Vulnerable. This fish is seen as a luxury food and is typically fished unsustainably at its spawning aggregations.  In Costa Rica, Holdridge’s Toad, an endemic species, fell from Critically Endangered to Extinct, it has not been seen since 1986.  The Cuban Crocodile is another Critically Endangered reptile, due to illicit hunting for its meat and its skin, which is used in clothing.

Population Movement

Habitat loss and degradation affect 40% of the world’s mammals. It is most extreme in Central and South America, Africa, and in South and Southeast Asia. Over harvesting is wiping out larger mammals, especially in Southeast Asia, but also in parts of Africa and South America. The African Elephant moved from Vulnerable to Near Threatened, although its status varies considerably across its range.  The move reflects the recent and ongoing population increases in southern and eastern Africa.

Potentially Worse

The real situation could be even worse as 836 mammals are listed as Data Deficient. With better information more species may well prove to be in danger of extinction. “The reality is that the number of threatened mammals could be as high as 36%”, says Jan Schipper, lead author in a forthcoming article in Science, “this indicates that conservation action backed by research is a clear priority for the future, not only to improve the data so that we can evaluate threats to these poorly known species, but to investigate means to recover threatened species and populations”.

Not All Bad News

The results also show that conservation can bring species back from the brink of extinction, with 5% of currently threatened mammals showing signs of recovery in the wild.  The Black-footed Ferret for example moved from Extinct in the Wild to Endangered after a successful reintroduction by the US Fish and Wildlife Service into eight western states and Mexico from 1991-2008. Similarly, the Wild Horse moved from Extinct in the Wild in 1996 to Critically Endangered this year after successful reintroductions started in Mongolia in the early 1990’s.  If We Don’t Take Action Now

“Within our lifetime hundreds of species could be lost as a result of our own actions, a frightening sign of what is happening to the ecosystems where they live”, reports Julia Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN Director General. “We must now set clear targets for the future to reverse this trend to ensure that our enduring legacy is not to wipe out many of our closest relatives.”  Dr. Jane Smart, Head of IUCN’s Species Programme adds “the longer we wait, the more expensive it will be to prevent future extinctions, we now know what species are threatened, what the threats are and where – we have no more excuses to watch from the sidelines.”