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Let's reflect and act for threatened species
- We remember the "Endangered Species Day". It invites us to think on those species that are in a vulnerable state due to multiple threats (International Union for Conservation of Nature).
How do we know that a species is in danger of extinction?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) created the "Red List" to expose species at risk of extinction and promote their conservation. According to the IUCN, there are three categories of threats that have the highest risk of extinction and they are the following: Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable.
A species is critically endangered when, according to the evidence, it is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. On the other hand, a species is endangered when it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild and it is considered vulnerable if it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild. To identify the risk of extinction of each species, scientific use standardized criteria, for example, the decrease in individuals, a reduction in geographic distribution, or a very small population number.
According to the Red List, only in South America, 665 species would be critically endangered, 4,445 endangered, and 14,060 vulnerable. "There are many reasons why animals may be in danger of extinction, among the main reasons are the destruction and fragmentation of their habitats, climate change, hunting, and illegal trafficking," said Shaleyla Kelez, Specialist of Wildlife of WWF-Peru.
Our critically endangered and endangered species
As Peru is a mega-diverse country, it is not exempt from this reality. “In Peru, there is a red book for species considered wild fauna; This document, led by SERFOR, not only contains the list of threatened species by category in the country but also includes a summary of the information on the threats and the conservation status of these species,” added Shaleyla.
Some of the species that are in threatened states
© Jürgen Freund / WWF
Leatherback turtles: 5 of 7 species of sea turtles that exist on the planet live in Peru. Unfortunately, all sea turtles are in danger of extinction. Some of the reasons are bycatch, directed capture, and poaching of eggs on nesting beaches. About the leatherback turtle its population has been reduced by up to 94.7% in the last three generations. According to the IUCN, it is already critically endangered.
© André Bärtschi / WWF
Jaguar: The situation of the jaguar in Peru is complicated. Human actions such as deforestation, the fragmentation of its habitat, hunting and trafficking have caused a considerable decrease in its habitat. Although Peru is the second country where most jaguars are found in South America, there are around 22 thousand copies left currently.
© naturepl.com / Franco Banfi / WWF
Gray dolphin and pink dolphin: Four of the eight species of river dolphins that exist in the world live in South America. In fact, two of these species, the gray dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis) and the pink dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), have part of their distribution range in our country as well as in others in the region. Mercury river contamination, conflicts with fishing activities, hydroelectric dams, or collisions with boats, are just some of the reasons why river dolphins have been threatened. Currently, they are endangered according to the IUCN list.
With this difficult reality, it is important to remark that our freshwater species and marine species still do not have a national regulation that allows categorizing their degree of threat. “It is necessary to make every effort to have all the instruments that help its conservation. This task is essential for the survival of the planet and for human life itself since we are also part of nature. For this reason, as a society, we must commit ourselves to live in harmony with the species and not promoting their overexploitation or any other condition that threatens or affects them,” said Shaleyla.
Sources:
IUCN: https://www.iucnredlist.org/es/resources/redlistguidelines
SINIA: https://sinia.minam.gob.pe/documentos/libro-rojo-fauna-silvestre-amenazada-peru
MONGABAY:https://es.mongabay.com/2018/07/peru-tortugas-marinas-riesgo/
SERFOR : Red Book - SERFOR