Climate Change Affects Komodo Dragon: «Critically Endangered» | free Press

Gland / Marseille (DPA) – The largest living lizard in the world, the Komodo dragon in Indonesia, is more threatened than previously thought. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified it as “critically endangered” on its list of threatened animal and plant species from Saturday.

This takes it a step up on the extinction scale. The IUCN classifies the investigated species into eight categories ranging from “insufficient data” to “extinct”. “Critically Endangered” is level 5. In total, the Red List of Endangered Animal and Plant Species now has about 140,000 species, of which about 40,000 are on the verge of extinction.

According to the IUCN, the Komodo dragon is affected by climate change. Rising sea levels will likely cause a third of their habitat to disappear in the next 45 years: omnivores, which are up to three meters tall, are living for millions in eastern Indonesia, in Komodo National Park and on the adjacent island of Flores . of years. It is estimated that there are still about 6000 animals.

The IUCN has better news for tuna: Four of the seven most popular tuna species have recovered in stock after decades of protective measures. Fishing quotas and persistent measures against illegal fishing have had an effect.

For example, the IUCN estimates that the number of bluefin tuna (Thunus thinus), native to the Mediterranean Sea, has increased by 22 percent over the past four decades. The species was previously listed as “critically endangered”, but has improved three notches. It is no longer considered endangered. This also applies to albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), which have a level of improvement. The population of the still-endangered Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus McCoy) has also recovered slightly, and has been upgraded from Category 6 to 5.

IUCN is committed to the conservation of nature and species. It has over 1,300 members, including ministries, federal agencies, nature conservation associations and research institutions. It is currently holding its Species Conservation Congress in Marseille.