Migratory Species Under Threat: A Global Crisis

The world’s migratory species, from African elephants to turtles and albatrosses, are facing an unprecedented crisis. According to a landmark report released by the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), one in five of the 1,189 species covered by the convention is threatened with extinction, and 44 percent are seeing their populations decline (CBS/AFP, 2024). The report, the first of its kind, paints a dire picture of the state of the world’s migratory species and the threats they face.

Human activities are the primary cause of the crisis. Habitat destruction, hunting, and pollution are the main drivers of population declines and extinction threats for many migratory species. Agriculture and fishing are among the most significant threats. Farming can destroy habitats, while bycatch by fishing vessels is the biggest continued threat for whales (UNEP, 2024).

The report also highlights the impact of climate change on migration routes and timings. Climate change alters seasonal conditions, threatening the survival of migratory species that rely on very specialized sites to feed and mate (AP, 2023).

The CMS chief, Amy Fraenkel, called the report a “wake-up call about what’s happening” (AFP, 2024). The report was released as over 130 signatory countries gathered for a conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from February 12 to 17. The absence of the United States, China, Canada, and Russia from the conference was notable.

Migratory species often rely on very specialized sites to feed and mate, and their journeys between them can cross international borders and even continents. Iconic species that make some of the most extraordinary journeys across the planet include the monarch butterfly, the humpback whale, and loggerhead turtle.

The report found that over the past three decades, 70 CMS-listed species have become more endangered, including the steppe eagle, Egyptian vulture, and wild camel. Meanwhile, only 14 percent of the 960 species of birds listed on CMS were assessed as threatened, but the authors stressed that this still amounts to some 134 species.

The report also found that 399 migratory species, including albatrosses, ground sharks, and stingrays, are categorized as threatened or near-threatened but are not yet CMS-listed.

The report includes a focus on species most at risk, highlighting the threats from fishing, farming, and pollution. It echoes a flagship biodiversity accord in 2022, when countries agreed to preserve 30 percent of the planet’s land and sea by 2030.

Many of the migratory species listed on CMS provide economic value or “services” useful to humans, from tourism centered on whales, dolphins, elephants, and cheetahs to the pollination provided by birds and bats. But Fraenkel emphasized that these species also connect communities across the world, their departures and arrivals marking the passing of the seasons.

“They are really magnificent creatures,” Fraenkel said (AFP, 2024).

References:

CBS/AFP. (2024, February 12). Migratory species at risk worldwide, with a-fifth in danger of extinction, landmark U.N. report says. Retrieved February 12, 2024, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/migratory-species-at-risk-worldwide-un-report/

AP. (2023, May 24). Volunteer carries Green Sea Turtle after it was caught temporarily at a feeding site on Itaipu Beach in Niteroi, Brazil. Retrieved February 12, 2024, from https://apnews.com/article/environment-and-nature-brazil-turtles-beaches-e1444466462

AFP. (2024, February 12). Migratory species under threat: A global crisis. Retrieved February 12, 2024, from https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240212-migratory-species-under-threat-a-global-crisis

UNEP. (2024). State of the World’s Migratory Species assessment. Retrieved February 12, 2024, from https://www.unep-wcmc.org/publications/migratory-species-assessment-2024.

The Associated Press. (2023, May 24). Migratory species at risk worldwide, with a-fifth in danger of extinction, landmark U.N. report says. Retrieved February 12, 2024, from https://apnews.com/article/environment-and-nature-migratory-species-extinction-united-nations-biodiversity-1e6344466462.