The giraffe is now at risk of extinction
Environment — di Rudi Bressa
The Red List of threatened species has been updated. Among them, the world's tallest mammal, whose numbers have fallen by nearly half in 30 years. “It's worse than we thought.”
The giraffe is now at risk of extinction
The Red List of threatened species has been updated. Among them, the world's tallest mammal, whose numbers have fallen by nearly half in 30 years. “It's worse than we thought.”
Constant and rapidly accelerating biodiversity loss. The news coming out of the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP13), held in Cancun, Mexico, is not good. The IUCN Red List (International Union for Conservation of Nature) includes 85,604 species, of which 24,307 are threatened with extinction. Among them, now, is the giraffe.
"Many species are disappearing before we have even been able to describe them," said IUCN Director General Inger Andersen. "This update to the Red List indicates that the rate of extinction globally may be greater than we thought. The governments that have gathered at the United Nations biodiversity summit in Cancun have an immense responsibility to step up their efforts to protect our planet's biodiversity. Not only for its own sake, but for other imperatives such as food security and sustainable development."
The slow decline of the giraffe
The symbol of this latest update is precisely the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), the tallest mammal alive today. According to the most recent data available to scientists, the number of individuals has fallen by 40 per cent in 30 years. As a result, it has moved from "Least Concern" to "Vulnerable" within three generations. Their numbers have dropped from 151,702–163,452 individuals in 1985 to 97,562 in 2015.
Among the main causes are undoubtedly illegal hunting and habitat destruction, particularly in eastern and central Africa. Population growth and the relentless search for new agricultural land and mineral resources are rapidly destroying the natural environments that support the species, slowly driving it towards extinction.
"As long as giraffes are commonly seen on safari, in the media and in zoos, people – including conservationists – are not aware that these majestic animals are silently heading towards extinction," said Julian Fennessy, co-chair of the IUCN SSC Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group. "With a decline of nearly 40 per cent over the last three decades, the world's tallest animal is under severe pressure in parts of eastern, central and western Africa."
BREAKING: New bird species and giraffe under threat – @IUCNRedList. Crop wild relatives also assessed bit.ly/2hhtVoq @BirdLife_News
Not just the giraffe. Vast numbers of birds in danger
But the researchers' warning does not stop at the giraffe. Of the latest 742 bird species discovered, 11 per cent are threatened with extinction. These specimens bring the total number of threatened species to 11,121. Of these, 13 have been declared extinct, all endemic to islands — such as the Pohnpei reed warbler (Acrocephalus yamashinae), the O'ahu akepa (Loxops wolstenholmei) and the Laysan honeycreeper (Himatione fraithii), all probably lost due to invasive species. "As our knowledge grows, so our concerns are confirmed: unsustainable agriculture, hunting, invasive species and other problems such as illegal trade remain the principal threats," said Ian Burfield, BirdLife coordinator.