10.jpg okapi Okapi - a national symbol of the Democratic Republic of Congo, also known as the "forest giraffe" - and Flufftail - one of the rarest birds in Africa - are now close to extinction, according to the latest update of the red List of threatened species ™ IUCN. Two albatross species, the Leatherback Turtle and the Island Grey Fox of the California Channel Islands meanwhile show signs of improvement.
A total of 71,576 species have been assessed, of which 21,286 are threatened with extinction.
The update highlights a serious decline in the population of Okapi (Okapia johnstoni), a close relative of the giraffe, living only in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The species is now "in danger", close to the highest category of risk of extinction, with numbers declining in its range. Poaching and loss of natural habitats and the presence of rebels of elephant poachers and illegal miners, are the main threats to its survival.
"Okapi in Congo is revered as a national symbol - it even appears on banknotes in Congolese francs," says Dr. Noelle Kümpel, co-chair of the Giraffes Specialist Group and the IUCN Okapi and manager of the Okapi conservation project of the Zoological Society of London. "Unfortunately, the DRC has been caught in the civil war and ravaged by poverty for nearly two decades, leading to widespread degradation of the habitat of the Okapi and increased hunting for its meat and its skin . Support government efforts against civil war and extreme poverty in the region is essential for survival. "
According to the update of the Red List, nearly 200 bird species are now "Critically Endangered", meeting the highest risk of extinction.
Flufftail the (Sarothrura ayresi), a small secretive bird that breeds in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, is the last species to join this category. The destruction and degradation of its habitat, including the drainage of wetlands, land conversion for agriculture, water extraction, overgrazing by livestock and the cutting of vegetation in the marshes, have led in this precarious state. Urgent action is now needed to better understand the ecology of the species and address those threats.
Although the situation of the global population of the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) - the largest of all living turtles - has improved, from the category of "Critically Endangered" to "Vulnerable", the species continues to face serious threats at several of its subpopulations.
The leatherback turtle is a unique case globally with seven biologically and geographically distinct subpopulations. The sub-population of the Northwest Atlantic is abundant and increasing thanks to successful conservation initiatives in the region. However, the sub-population of the eastern Pacific Ocean, which lays along the Pacific coast of the Americas, and the sub-population of the western Pacific Ocean, present in Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, are both down sharply because of large harvests of eggs and incidental capture in fishing gear. targeted conservation efforts are needed to prevent their collapse.
This update of the IUCN Red List also brings good news for some of the species evaluated. Two albatross species - one of the families of the most endangered birds in the world - are now at a low risk of extinction due to the increase in their populations. The Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys) moved from the category "Endangered" to "Near Threatened" and the Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) has gone from "Vulnerable" to "Near Threatened". Bycatch in fisheries are the main threat to these species.
The island gray fox (Urocyon littoralis), formerly "critically endangered", also saw their status improve and is now classified as "Near Threatened".
Present on six Channel Islands of California, off the southern California coast, four subspecies of this fox suffered catastrophic declines in the mid-1990s, mainly due to disease and predation by species not natives, such as the golden eagle. The four subspecies have now recovered or approaching beyond recovery. This is mainly due to successful conservation action, brought by the US National Park Service, a member of IUCN, which included captive breeding, reintroduction, vaccination against canine diseases and relocation of golden eagles.
"This update of the IUCN Red List shows some fantastic conservation successes, we must draw inspiration for future conservation efforts," says Jane Smart, Global Director of Conservation Group of the IUCN Biodiversity . "However, the overall message remains dark. With each update, while we see some species raise their status, a much larger number of species listed in the threatened categories. The world urgently needs to multiply its efforts to avoid this degradation ".
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