UN: Endangered animal species risk extinction

A damning report by the United Nations has painted a grim picture of the loss of several species of birds and animals that are threatened with extinction unless urgent measures are taken to protect them.

And this could spell bad news for Kenya, a country known as the bird watchers’ paradise with its recorded 817 species of migratory birds threatened.

The first-ever State of the World’s Migratory Species report launched yesterday by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), a UN biodiversity treaty, reveals a shocking state of wildlife.

Unveiled at the opening of a major UN wildlife conservation conference (CMS COP14) in Samarkand City, South-Eastern Uzbekistan, the report shows that the world’s migratory species of animals are in decline, and the global extinction risk is increasing.

An estimated 4,189 animal species- both recognised by the CMS Parties and non-CMS migratory species urgently need international protection. They include 1, 189 that have been recognised by CMS Parties and are listed under CMS, and over 3,000 additional non-CMS migratory species.

Reacting to the findings, United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director, Inger Andersen, said the report clearly shows that unsustainable human activities are jeopardising the future of migratory species – creatures that not only act as indicators of environmental change but play an integral role in maintaining the function and resilience of the planet’s complex ecosystems. “The global community has an opportunity to translate this latest science of the pressures facing migratory species into concrete conservation action.

“Given the precarious situation of many of these animals, we cannot afford to delay, and must work together to make the recommendations a reality,” Anderson’s sentiments calling for urgent action.

The report shows that while some migratory species listed under CMS are improving, nearly half – 44 per cent – are showing population declines.

Further, more than one-in-five -22 per cent – of CMS-listed species are threatened with extinction. “Nearly all (97 per cent) of CMS-listed fish are threatened with extinction,” the report reveals, indicating that the extinction risk is growing for migratory species globally, including those not listed under CMS.

According to the report, half – 51 per cent – of key biodiversity areas identified as important for CMS-listed migratory animals do not have protected status, and 58 per cent of the monitored sites recognised as being important for CMS-listed species are experiencing unsustainable levels of human-caused pressure.

The two greatest threats to both CMS-listed and all migratory species are exploitation and habitat loss due to human activity, the report indicates, revealing that three out of four CMS-listed species are impacted by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation.

Seven out of ten CMS-listed species are impacted by exploitation – including intentional taking as well as incidental capture.

“Climate change, pollution and invasive species are also having intense impacts on migratory species,” the report notes, revealing that globally, 399 migratory species that are threatened or near threatened with extinction are not currently listed under CMS.

Until now, no such comprehensive assessment on migratory species has been carried out. The report provides a global overview of the conservation status and population trends of migratory animals, combined with the latest information on their main threats and successful actions to save them.

Billions of animals make migratory journeys each year on land, in the oceans and in the skies, crossing national boundaries and continents, with some travelling thousands of miles across the globe to feed and breed.

Kenya lies along the African-Eurasian flyway, an important international route for migratory birds. About 170 Palaearctic migratory bird species migrate south to Kenya from Europe and Asia. Mida Creek, a tidal inlet in Kilifi County

The country was recently ranked sixth globally in sightings of migratory birds during the eBird Global Big Day after Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Bolivia.

Migratory species play an essential role in maintaining the world’s ecosystems, and provide vital benefits, by pollinating plants, transporting key nutrients, preying on pests, and helping to store carbon.

Amy Fraenkel, CMS Executive Secretary, said migratory species rely on a variety of specific habitats at different times in their life cycles, regularly travelling, sometimes thousands of miles, to reach these places.

“They face enormous challenges and threats along the way, as well as their destinations where they breed or feed. When species cross national borders, their survival depends on the efforts of all countries in which they are found,” she said, noting that the report will help underpin much-needed policy actions to ensure that migratory species continue to thrive around the world.

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