by Javed baloch Images for representation made with Ai
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was founded in 1948. It focuses on conservation of nature and sustainable use of resources from nature.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is a key indicator of global biodiversity health. As per IUCN most latest data over 46,300 species (28% of all assessed) are threatened with extinction.
Cycads (71%) and coral reefs (44%) face the highest percent of extinction risk. Amphibians (41%) and conifers (34%) are also highly threatened.
The IUCN Red List was established in 1964. It is the world’s most comprehensive source of information on the conservation status of animals, fungi, and plants.
Globally more than 166,000 species have been assessed so far. IUCN latest assessment published at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, highlights that 44% of reef-building coral species are at risk of extinction.
In 2008, in the previous Red List of Threatened Species, one-third of reef-building coral species were assessed as threatened. Now almost half are at risk.
Coral reefs are on the frontline of the biodiversity crisis. Climate change is the main threat. Other threats include pollution, agricultural runoff, disease, and overfishing.
Due to global warming, rise in water temperatures and intense solar radiation cause coral bleaching and diseases, leading to mass mortality. Atlantic coral species are particularly threatened by annual severe bleaching, pollution, and diseases.
Cold-water coral species are found in deep ocean waters and do not rely on sunlight. Only 22 of over 4,000 cold-water coral species have been assessed, IUCN reports. Cold-water corals are threatened by fishing activity, bottom trawling, deep-sea mining, oil and gas drilling, and undersea cables.
Coral reefs are the most diverse marine ecosystems. They take thousands of years to develop but are rapidly being destroyed due to human activities. Climate change is considered a key factor as 44% of coral species in warm waters face threat of extinction.
Healthy ecosystems like coral reefs are essential for human livelihoods—providing food, stabilising coastlines, and storing carbon. The protection of our biodiversity is not only vital for our well-being but crucial for our survival. Climate change remains the leading threat to reef-building corals and is devastating the natural systems we depend on.
said IUCN Director General Dr Grethel Aguilar in the press release
We need to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions alongside action to address local threats if we want to give coral reefs a chance to survive. This is not just about preserving the spectacular beauty of coral reefs. Coral ecosystems also sustain coastal fishing communities, stabilise the shoreline and coastal habitats, and help remove carbon from the ocean, among other benefits.
said Beth Polidoro, IUCN Species Survival Commission Coral Red List Authority Coordinator
The latest global assessment brings troubling news for corals with more than 340 species now being considered at risk of extinction. Much work remains to be done to secure the future of these species and the vital reefs they form. An ocean without functioning coral reefs would be a bleak reality, highlighting the urgent need to find solutions to the climate crisis while simultaneously addressing today’s coral crisis.
said Professor David Smith, MSC Foundation Chief Science Advisor
The main solution to save corals from extinction is cutting greenhouse gas emissions, accompanied by actions to address other threats, to strengthen species’ resilience.
IUCN