Global Call for Species Conservation Action
Newsletter 24/10/2019
In spring 2019, the United Nations World Biodiversity Council presented alarming numbers of species extinction. Of estimated eight million plant and animal species on our planet, around one million are at risk of extinction. Now, the Species Survival Commission Leaders of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) direct the Abu Dhabi call to the world community. They urgently appeal for effective action to address the unprecedented, unsustainable and growing impacts on wild species from human activities.
According to the Red List of Endangered Species, 27% of all registered plant and animal species are threatened with extinction. For individual groups, this proportion is already much higher. For example, 40% of amphibian species, 33% of coral species and 30% of shark and ray species are threatened1. Most of the estimated 8 million plant and animal species on earth are not even described and classified. The United Nations estimates that every day up to 150 species die out, most of them being unknown species2. According to the IUCN, the current extinction rate is at least 1,000 times higher than the usual extinction rate in the history of our planet, and this rate is steadily rising3.
Humans are the primary cause of species extinction. In the Abu Dhabi call, IUCN experts point out that human activity has severely altered more than 75% of land and freshwater areas, and 66% of the oceans. Accordingly, the experts see poor or abusive practices in agriculture, fisheries and forestry as major causes of species decline. As further key causes, they list illegal hunting and trafficking, inadequate management of waste and discharges, invasive alien species and increasingly climate change as well as ocean acidification.
In view of the dramatic situation, the experts urge the world community to recognise the irreplaceable and vital role of species and their populations and to massively scale up efforts to conserve all species. By 2030, the species’ population decline is to be halted and by 2050, the recovery of all threatened species is to be improved and ensured.
Given the actual situation, this objective sounds more like wishful but unrealistic thinking. Climate change and species loss are global challenges that we cannot tackle in a few years. But we agree with our colleagues that what we need are ambitious goals and, above all, optimism.
Reasons for optimism give the nature and species protection initiatives of the European Community. Natura 2000 is the world's largest network of protected areas. It currently covers 18% of the land area and 9.5% of the marine habitats in the European Community4. LIFE is the associated financing instrument. Since 1992, more than 4,600 projects have been co-financed in the EU Member States.
In the face of rapid species extinction, conservationists are increasingly challenged to extend their focus beyond the interests of a single species. We use the LIFE Reason for Hope project for the Northern Bald Ibis to develop species protection methods, to do basic research and to run international campaigns against major mortality causes of many bird species. All these measures concern demands that are also addressed in the Abu Dhabi Call.
One campaign of Waldrappteam is dedicated to electrocution of birds on unsecured poles of medium voltage power lines. It accounts for 33% of Northern Bald Ibis losses and is likely to affect many other large bird species to a similar extent. There is a simple technical solution to the problem by isolating the wires in the area of the poles. A recent study has shown that securing poles can reduce the mortality rate of large birds by 90%. In Germany, most poles are now secured by network providers due to a legal regulation. The Abu Dhabi call should give reason to implement a legal regulation for securing poles of medium voltage power lines also in Austria, Italy and other countries.
Picture (Waldrappteam): The title of our LIFE project stands for optimism: LIFE Reason for Hope. Thanks to successful breeding programs in zoos and international conservation programs, the situation for the Northern Bald Ibis has improved significantly.
1 https://www.iucnredlist.org/
2 https://www.cbd.int/doc/speech/2007/sp-2007-05-22-es-en.pdf
3 https://www.iucn.org/theme/species/about
4 https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/info/pubs/docs/nat2000newsl/ENG%20Natura2k%2046%20WEB.pdf
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