According to the Red Book of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants, published on December 9, more than 1,550 out of 17,903 species of marine animals and plants are in danger of extinction.
Climate change and environmental pollution (mainly caused by human activities) are destroying the habitat of marine species, leaving nearly 10% of them at risk of extinction.

That is the warning made in the Red Book report on endangered species of flora and fauna published on December 9.
The above assessment was made in the context of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) taking place in the city of Montreal (Canada), in which the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Antonio Guterres urged the parties to end the “destruction” and adopt an agreement to prevent and reverse habitat loss.

Published every year, the Red Book of Endangered Species of Plants – produced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature – serves as a barometer of biodiversity globally.

According to the above report, more than 1,550 out of 17,903 species of marine plants and animals are at risk of extinction.

Meanwhile, Craig Hilton-Taylor – the report’s lead author – said that the number of endangered species is likely to be much higher than currently reported data, because of the current analysis. are carried out on a large scale, including species that are not yet threatened with life.

According to the above report, the number of manatees has dropped to less than 250 adults in East Africa and less than 900 in New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France. The threat facing this animal is the loss of its main food source – seagrass – due to oil and gas exploration and production in Mozambique and pollution from nickel mining in the Pacific Ocean.
This year’s report also assesses the abalone species for the first time and finds that about 44 percent of the species is at risk of extinction. Heat waves at sea occur frequently and become more and more severe, causing mass deaths of this species due to disease and depletion of food sources.

In addition, this year’s report also puts the Caribbean hard coral species on the “severely endangered” list, compared with last year’s “vulnerable” rating. Currently, the number of hard corals has decreased by more than 80% since 1990 due to bleaching.

Ms. Amanda Vincent – Chair of the Marine Conservation Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature – said: “The endangered status of these species is raising alarm bells and therefore requires us to quickly come up with solutions and actions to prevent their extinction.”