MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Magellanic Penguins in southern Chile threatened species

UICN has a red list of almost 17.000 plant and animal endangered species

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (UICN) last week identified a “Red List” of nearly 17,000 plant and animal species in danger of disappearance, and 800 species already extinct.

Chile, a member country of the UICN, has one of the highest indices of threatened amphibians (36.2%). Plant life has also suffered setbacks in Chile: 28% of conifers, including the Chilean Araucaria, are now considered endangered. Of the 141 species at risk of disappearance in Chile, 32 are in “critical danger” – the category immediately preceding extinction.

The study – undertaken every four years to evaluate global biodiversity – is considered the most thorough inventory of 4 plant and animal life worldwide. The latest results reflect disheartening global trends: the number of species in extinction has increased by 11% since the last study.

Oceans are among the habitats worst hit. Over-fishing, climate change, and contamination have forced 17% of sharks and rays, as well as six out of seven species of marine turtles, into threat of extinction. Coral reefs, marine birds, Chiloé Foxes, and Magellanic penguins are also under threat because of habitat loss and competition with newly-introduced species.

Even though climate change is not now the principal threats to wildlife, scientists say the situation could change in the future since 30% of all birds, 51% of all coral reefs and 41% of all amphibians exhibit characteristics that make them susceptible to the climate change phenomenon.

Worse, the current estimates may be greatly understated since the “Red List” only analyses 2.7% of the 1.8 million currently recognized animal and plant species.

While the UICN’s proposed protection objectives for 2010 will not be fulfilled, the conservation status of 37 species of mammals has improved since the previous report, thanks to a series of conservation projects.

Chile’s National Environmental Commission (CONAMA), for example, recently launched an awareness campaign to protect the Cantillana Highlands near Melipilla in the Santiago Metropolitan Region. The site has been labelled a vulnerable “green belt” worthy of protection because it is home to more than 730 endemic species and 700 species of flora.