The latest update of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) “Red List of Threatened Species” shows worrying declines for conifers – the world’s oldest and largest organisms, freshwater shrimps, cone snails and the Yangtze Finless Porpoise. The IUCN has declared the Santa Cruz Pupfish, a lizard known as the Cape Verde Giant Skink and a species of freshwater shrimp, extinct.
With this update, 4,807 species have been added to the IUCN Red List, bringing the total of assessed species to 70,294, of which 20,934 are threatened with extinction.
“Thanks to the IUCN Red List, we now have more information on the state of the world’s biodiversity than ever before,” says Jane Smart, Global Director, IUCN Biodiversity Conservation Group, in an IUCN press release issued today. “But the overall picture is alarming. We must use this knowledge to its fullest – making our conservation efforts well targeted and efficient – if we are serious about stopping the extinction crisis that continues to threaten all life on Earth.”
The update includes the first global reassessment of conifers. According to the results, 34% of the world’s cedars, cypresses, firs and other cone-bearing plants are now threatened with extinction – an increase by 4% since the last complete assessment in 1998.
The conservation status of 33 conifer species has declined, including California’s Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata) – the world’s most widely planted pine valued for its rapid growth and pulp qualities.
On the other hand, conservation action has improved the status of the Lawson’s Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana). Once a heavily traded species, the tree is now listed as “near threatened” thanks to improved management practices in California and Oregon, including planting disease resistant stocks.
Conifers are the oldest and largest species on the planet. The Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) for example, can live up to almost 5,000 years and the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) can grow to a height of 110 meters.