Species’ ingenious survival strategies no match for human destruction, red list reveals | IUCN red list of endangered species

This year’s red list of endangered species has revealed that life has colonized every corner of the planet by developing ingenious survival strategies, but they are increasingly being pressured by destructive human activities.

Many snails, whelks, and clams have adapted to life in the crushing depths of hydrothermal vents in the oceans, where water temperatures can reach 450C (842F). But an assessment for the red list found that two-thirds of the hundreds of mollusc species found only in deep-sea vents are at risk of extinction due to deep-sea mining.

Diamond mining has put another extraordinary creature at risk of extinction: the desert rain frog. Most frogs need water to survive, but the bulbous desert rain frog has evolved to need almost no water. It hides from the southern African sun by burying itself deep in the sand and only comes out at night to hunt for insects.

However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) states that dwindling species can be saved. red listin question. The new listing shows that the marsupial anteater, a striped, termite-eating marsupial that lives in Australia, has been brought back from the brink thanks to protection from feral cats and foxes.

“Life on Earth has adapted to survive in the most hostile and unusual habitats [but] “As pressures on biodiversity increase across the planet, even creatures with the most ingenious survival strategies are threatened,” said IUCN director general Dr Grethel Aguilar. “But there is a clear way out of the biodiversity crisis: nature conservation. “By protecting the amazing biodiversity on this planet, we can provide a welcoming environment for both people and wildlife.”

An IUCN update in April declared emperor penguins officially in danger of extinction due to mass drowning of chicks due to melting sea ice due to the climate crisis.

More than 200 species of molluscs are known to live only in hydrothermal vents, where water heated by volcanic rocks gushes from the seafloor. Many have only been discovered in the last decade but are already in danger of extinction.

Exploration and extraction of deep-sea minerals results in sediments that suffocate animals. a snail, Lirapex Felix, It is classified as critically endangered due to mining activities in the Indian Ocean.

But more than 30 species of vents are not endangered because they live in marine protected areas where mining is not allowed. These include a snail with a fancy shell. Provanna yummyIt lives only in the Mariana Arc of Fire national wildlife refuge in the Pacific Ocean.

“This global assessment reveals: [vent] Professor Julia Sigwart, from IUCN red list partner Senckenberg Nature Research, which is coordinating the assessment, said molluscs were one of the most threatened of all animal groups. “The International Seabed Authority meeting in Jamaica this month provides important information.” IUCN Voted for moratorium on deep sea mining In 2021.

The desert rain frog is classified as vulnerable due to the spread of diamond mining and energy infrastructure along the west coast of South Africa and Namibia. There is further pressure on the frog due to increased demand from the exotic pet trade following a viral video of the species making a distress call.

The good news about marsupial ants comes after decades of conservation work that helped numbers rise from a low of just 300 in the late 1970s to between 2,000 and 3,000 today. The marsupial anteater has moved from endangered to near-threatened on the red list.

The impact of feral cats and red foxes has been reduced through baiting and anti-predator fencing, as well as captive breeding and translocations from healthy groups at Perth zoo. As a result, at least five more self-sustaining populations were established. But experts said the species only covered 0.04% of its original range in southern Australia, meaning continued conservation efforts were necessary.

Five more Australian marsupials have been confirmed as red-listed extinct after no sightings for at least 60 years. Hill-tailed, southern, northern and lesser mulgara were mouse-sized carnivores, while the lesser bettong was a hopping marsupial the size of a rabbit. They probably fell victim to wild cats and foxes. More than 40 modern mammals have been recorded as extinct in Australia.

“ [numbat] evaluation shows that long-term conservation efforts are working; Without this, invasive cats and foxes will continue to drive Australia’s small marsupials and native rodents to extinction,” said Prof John Woinarski, co-chair of the IUCN Australasian marsupials and monotreme species survival commission group.

“Continued management is vital not only to maintain its unique evolutionary line as the last surviving member of the anthill. Myrmecobiidae “The family’s aim is also to support its role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, as digging up the termites it eats helps preserve forest areas by increasing the penetration of rain into the soil,” he said.

The IUCN red list includes 175,909 species; 49,505 of these are in danger of extinction; however, many species have not yet been formally evaluated.