A successful new agreement to protect nature would be one that eliminates the threat of extinction for all species by 2050, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said Friday.
This year’s report, which shows an increase in species at risk from just over 40,000 a year ago, focused in detail on marine life. It highlighted significant declines and determined that climate change alone is now affecting more than two out of every five marine species. Abalone, marine molluscs that are one of the most expensive seafood catches in the world, were assessed for the first time this year. Out of 54 abalone species, 20 were immediately listed as threatened with extinction, due to overfishing, pollution, disease, habitat loss, algal blooms, warming and acidification.
Smart said the list is a “gold mine” of information on species, including where they exist, how they’re threatened and how they can be saved. It can also be used to help monitor whether a new biodiversity framework is successful.