UN report: one in five migratory species at risk of extinction
More than a fifth of the world’s species are at risk of extinction as a result of climate change and human interference, according to the UN first-ever World’s Migratory Species report, released on February 12th, Reuters reports
‘Unsustainable’ pressure on these species could reduce their populations. Of the more than 1,000 animals listed under the 1979 UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), 44 percent are showing population declines, and 22 percent are threatened with extinction.
“The figures were based on assessments and data provided by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, as well as the Living Planet Index, which compares population numbers for over 5,000 species since 1970,” the publication reads.
Executive Secretary of CMS Amy Fraenkel said the report provides a ‘very clear direction’ about what governments need to do to combat the threat of extinction of some species.
