Half of the migratory species are at risk of extinction due to human activities

According to the most comprehensive assessment of migratory species ever conducted, humans have driven many migratory animals such as sea turtles, chimpanzees, lions and penguins to extinction, along with dozens of other species.

A recent report on the state of the world’s migratory species, prepared by conservation scientists under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Program, identified population decline as the driving factor for extinction in nearly half of the 1,200 species listed in the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). ) it shows. Target this Convention Signed in 1979, it protects species that cross international borders.

The report’s findings are consistent with another authoritative UN assessment, the 2019 Global Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Assessment Report. According to that report, Almost one million species out of 8 million animal species on Earth are at risk of extinction due to human activities. Since the 1970s, the biodiversity and diversity of life on earth has decreased by 70%.

Migratory species face unique and severe risks due to their dependence on multiple ecosystems that straddle national borders, and their predictable migration patterns make them vulnerable to predators. According to the most recent report, one in five CMS-listed species is at risk of extinction, and for fish, this figure reaches 97%.