Endangered Omani abalone among world’s marine life caught in ‘perfect storm’ of threats

Nations gather in Montreal to discuss protection of nature

Haliotis mariae are a species of snails in the family abalones and are listed as endangered by IUCN. Photo: Public Domain

Populations of a vulnerable species of marine mammal, numerous species of abalone and a type of Caribbean coral are now threatened with extinction. AP

The dugong is another vulnerable species of marine mammal now threatened with extinction. AP

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, alongside restoring ecosystems, will be essential in addressing the threat to hoverflies. Photo: Frank Vassen

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A hoverfly inside a poppy. PA

The monarch butterfly population has shrunk by between 22 per cent and 72 per cent over the past decade. AP

The monarch butterfly is at risk of extinction due to dams and poaching. Reuters

Marine wildlife faces a perfect storm of damaging human activity, conservationists warned. Photo: International Union for the Conservation of Nature

The slow loris is listed as a vulnerable species. Getty

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The agile gibbon is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species due to habitat destruction and the pet trade. AFP

A total of 184 deep-sea species are being added to the global Red List of Threatened Species. PA

The Arabian oryx is on the UAE's latest Red List for endangered animals. Reuters

About 700 Indian Ocean humpback dolphins inhabit Abu Dhabi waters and are classed as endangered. Photo: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

The sand gazelle is also on the list of endangered animals. Jaime Puebla / The National

A female Arabian leopard at Al Ain Zoo, which focuses on conserving wildlife, research and breeding. Photo: Al Ain Zoo

The Arabian gazelle is on the list of threatened mammals in the Arabian Peninsula. Pawan Singh / The National

Researchers believe the Arabian wolf no longer exists in the wild. Photo: Wikicommons

The primary threats to coral reefs are climate change, pollution and the effects of unsustainable fishing. AFP

Between 2016 and 2017, 50 per cent of the Great Barrier Reef died. AP

Delegates at a global summit on trade in November approved the protection of 50 more shark species. AFP

Lemon shark populations are threatened by fishing, including being caught as bycatch, and habitat degradation. AFP

Amphibians are declining worldwide and are collectively one of the most at-risk groups for extinction. AFP

Orangutans are known as the gardeners of the forest. AP

Orangutans play a vital role in seed dispersal and in maintaining the health of the forest ecosystem. Photo: World Wildlife Federation

Sado, Japan's population of wild toki has gone from zero to nearly 500. AFP

The Bali mynah's habitat is disappearing, but the greatest threat to their survival is the illegal pet trade. AP

Bali mynahs are valued for their striking plumage and beautiful songs. AP

Macaws are an endangered species mainly due to deforestation, hunting and the illegal pet trade. EPA

Cycads are in danger of becoming extinct due to their endangered habitats and their slow growth and reproduction rate. Jeff Topping / The National

Today only a handful of cycads still exist, and many are facing possible extinction in the wild. PA

Coniferous forests are increasingly threatened by many factors, mostly from humans. AP

One of the biggest threats to conifers is deforestation for land development and building construction. AP

The International Union for Conservation of Nature on Friday issued an update to its Red List of Threatened Species during the Cop15 environmental summit taking place in Montreal, Canada, with the Omani abalone and other marine life under the greatest threat.

“Today's IUCN Red List update reveals a perfect storm of unsustainable human activity decimating marine life around the globe,” said Bruno Oberle, the organisation's director general.

The updated list comes as delegates from around the world meet in Montreal for a UN biodiversity conference to finalise a new framework for “a peace pact with nature”, with the key goals of preserving Earth's forests, oceans and species.

The organisation said agricultural and pollution run-off causes harmful algal blooms, which have eliminated the Omani abalone, a commercial species found in the Arabian Peninsula, from across half of its former range.

Twenty of the world's 54 abalone species are now threatened with extinction.

“Abalones reflect humanity's disastrous guardianship of our oceans in microcosm: overfishing, pollution, disease, habitat loss, algal blooms, warming and acidification, to name but a few threats,” said Howard Peters of the University of York, who led the assessment.

“They really are the canary in the coal mine.”

The union is also sounding the alarm over the dugong — a large and docile marine mammal that lives from the eastern coast of Africa to the western Pacific Ocean.

The dugong is vulnerable throughout its range, and now populations in East Africa have entered the red list as critically endangered, IUCN said in a statement.

The major threats to the animal are unintentional capture in fishing gear in East Africa and poaching in New Caledonia, IUCN said.

It also suffers from boat collisions and loss of the seagrass it eats, said Evan Trotzuk, who led the East Africa assessment.

The US has announced it will help other nations to protect at least 30 per cent of the planet's land and seas by 2030, a key pledge of an anticipated new global nature pact.

A draft pledge has gained support from more than 110 nations, including the US.

“We are very interested in seeing the 30 by 30 framework adopted and in supporting other countries in achieving those goals,” Monica Medina, US special envoy for biodiversity and water resources, said in an interview before the Cop15 nature talks.

“We do need to aim for something that we think is achievable — and if we build on that success perhaps we can get even farther,” she added, highlighting a 50 per cent by 2050 protection target put forward by some scientists.

News agencies contributed to this report