“The last warning”.. The danger of animal extinction is increasing and the country is losing its wildlife

The figures published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature indicate a dire reality that requires the implementation of agreed policies to protect more than 42,100 species of Red List animals from extinction.

That is why on Monday 23 countries and organizations, led by Colombia and supported by Germany, launched a partnership to accelerate the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework for Biological Diversity, adopted at the United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity (COP15) in Canada.

Countries and organizations have signed a declaration to launch an Acceleration Partnership to help countries accelerate and scale up the implementation of NBSAPs.

Bringing together governments and relevant stakeholders, the partnership will contribute to the achievement of new global biodiversity goals and ultimately a global vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050.

The partnership will facilitate access to financial and technical support, promote dialogue, awareness-raising and knowledge sharing, and develop institutional capacities designed to respond to different levels and national needs, according to a UN news release.

And Agence France-Presse reported the dangerous situation at the level of biological diversity with graphs, so the figures were published in the Living Planet Report of the National Nature Foundation in 2022, which includes 32 thousand species of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians until 2018. , showed that the world has lost about 70 percent of its wildlife since 1970, and the agency described the numbers as devastating.

“Dangerous level… threatens destruction”

“This level is very dangerous and heralds extinction, because the restoration of these elements is not easy, especially after a huge increase in population,” Asaad Sarhal, a wildlife management expert and consultant for the Middle East region at the International Council for the Protection of Birds, told Al-Hurra .

However, he explains that “nature defends itself in several ways, floods, rising sea levels, fires that we witness every year”, emphasizing that “nature attacks the sources of its danger with fires and floods, for example rebuilding its beaches with a single tsunami wave.”

Sarhal believes, based on a study that the world has lost about 70 percent of wildlife since 1970, that environmental life on the globe “has entered a sixth wave of extinction, which comes after the past five waves of extinction dated in ecology, of which the most recent being the extinction of the dinosaurs”.

Serhal started from these statistics and the experience with corona and bird flu, and all these widespread diseases, to say that this is the “last warning”, explaining that when people start dying in the millions, it is because we have lost the necessary immunity.

Accordingly, he emphasizes that “the fear no longer refers to nature, but to man”, and to “the need to establish mechanisms for the implementation of COP Resolutions 15 and 27”.

More than a quarter are threatened with extinction.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List states that 28 percent of all vertebrate species (animals that have a backbone and a skull) are threatened with extinction.

Amphibians, which include frogs and salamanders, are at a 41 percent risk, while cartilaginous animals, which include sharks and rays, are at a 37 percent risk, and ray-finned fish (large fish) are at a 17 percent risk, and reptiles are at a risk of 21 percent, mammals are exposed to 27 percent, birds 13 percent.

Serhal explains these numbers, saying, “This means that most large mammals will become extinct, and we see this through many reasons, including climate change, overfishing, illegal trade and habitat degradation.”

“This is in addition to mammals that are still not well documented, such as birds, of which there are still discoveries of some species in the Amazon and the rainforest.”

towards the “yard”?

He explained that “the world is witnessing the sixth wave of extinction on the globe, which is the biggest wave since the extinction of the dinosaurs, and this means that destruction is coming, in case the agreement is not implemented.”

And he emphasizes that “the two agreements COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh for climate change and COP15 for biodiversity must be linked, because they are linked.”

He said: “The danger of exposing 28 percent of all vertebrates to extinction is that it is at the top of the pyramid of creatures, especially mammals. Below that, there is an explosion in the numbers of the latter, such as small, fast-breeding mammals such as rabbits, rats, etc. ., so there is no more control over their number, and usually the control of animals is at the top of the pyramid.

Invertebrates.. and danger to bees

The International Union for Conservation of Nature reports that 28 percent of all invertebrate species are threatened with extinction, insects are at risk 26 percent, rays (corals) 33 percent, gastropods (snails and snails) 22 percent, and soft crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, crayfish) by 33 percent, spiders and scorpions by 68 percent, and horseshoe crabs by 100 percent.

Serhal points out that “a quarter of invertebrates are endangered, which means that the insects that pollinate plants around the world and are the cause of life are also at risk.”

“These invertebrates have been lost in many natural habitats because there is no longer the pollination needed, especially for pesticide-fighting bees, and this will affect the world’s food security.”

Serhal emphasized that “the random use of contaminated pesticides, with the conversion of forests to agricultural lands and the increase of the population, which has approached the billions, has become a huge upward increase, which leads to an increase in the demand for food, agricultural land and water.”

He said: “In the world of birds, (which is the largest studied group in the world), statistics show that one in 8 birds is at risk of extinction, so the problem is more serious. Birds are just as important as insects and butterflies, because they are a natural indicator of the health of the globe, they are like an alarm for people, and when you disappear from an environment, it means that danger is coming for all creatures.”

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“The launch of the Partnership to Accelerate National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans is a timely and welcome development. Urgent action is needed, not only to start implementing the new global biodiversity framework, but also to continue to accelerate and advance the implementation of strategies and action plans as we work together to achieve a shared vision of living in harmony with nature and ensuring a sustainable future for all.

UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said: “Once a global biodiversity framework is adopted, we will need to implement it fully and expeditiously throughout society. The launch of the NBSAP Acceleration Partnership will be a key asset in facilitating the implementation framework and achieving the associated goals and targets. UNEP welcomes this platform to share knowledge and best practices of its members and to leverage the necessary financial and non-financial resources to catalyze action for nature and biodiversity.”

UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said: “National partnerships, global outreach and technical support are key to mobilizing the critical actions we need to address crises around the planet. This approach is a hallmark of the Partnership for Acceleration which will support countries to achieve their biodiversity goals – and represents a key step on the way forward towards the successful implementation of the new global biodiversity framework.