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dpa
Geneva
The world’s largest monitor lizard, the Komodo dragon, is increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has said.
The IUCN moved the species, which is endemic to Indonesia and occurs only in the World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park and neighbouring Flores, from vulnerable to endangered on its updated Red List of Threatened Species, released at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille on Saturday.
The organization said that, over the next 45 years, “rising global temperature and subsequent sea levels are expected to reduce the Komodo dragon’s suitable habitat by at least 30 [per cent],” a statement from the Marseille meeting said.
The IUCN warned that Komodo dragons “outside protected areas in Flores are also threatened by significant habitat loss due to ongoing human activities,” adding that the population in Komodo National Park “is currently stable and well protected.” The Red List update also saw the seven most commercially fished tuna species reassessed, saying four of them “are on path to recovery thanks to the enforcement of regional fishing quotas over the last decade.”
“The recovery comes in the midst of growing pressures on marine species, with 37 [per cent] of the world’s sharks and rays now threatened with extinction primarily due to overfishing, compounded by loss and degradation of habitat and climate change,” the statement said.
The Red List contains 138,374 species of which 38,543 that are threatened with extinction.
Geneva
The world’s largest monitor lizard, the Komodo dragon, is increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has said.
The IUCN moved the species, which is endemic to Indonesia and occurs only in the World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park and neighbouring Flores, from vulnerable to endangered on its updated Red List of Threatened Species, released at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille on Saturday.
The organization said that, over the next 45 years, “rising global temperature and subsequent sea levels are expected to reduce the Komodo dragon’s suitable habitat by at least 30 [per cent],” a statement from the Marseille meeting said.
The IUCN warned that Komodo dragons “outside protected areas in Flores are also threatened by significant habitat loss due to ongoing human activities,” adding that the population in Komodo National Park “is currently stable and well protected.” The Red List update also saw the seven most commercially fished tuna species reassessed, saying four of them “are on path to recovery thanks to the enforcement of regional fishing quotas over the last decade.”
“The recovery comes in the midst of growing pressures on marine species, with 37 [per cent] of the world’s sharks and rays now threatened with extinction primarily due to overfishing, compounded by loss and degradation of habitat and climate change,” the statement said.
The Red List contains 138,374 species of which 38,543 that are threatened with extinction.
