It is considered the largest living lizard in the world, but only a few specimens have survived of it. So the International Conservation Union (IUCN) is sounding the alarm.
Gland / Marseille (dpa) – The world’s largest living lizard, the Komodo dragon in Indonesia, is more threatened than previously thought. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified its list of threatened animal and plant species as “endangered” since Saturday.
This drives it one step higher on the extinction scale. The IUCN classifies the species examined into eight categories, from “insufficient data” to “extinct”. Critically Threatened is Level 5. In total, there are now approximately 140,000 species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animal and Plant Species, of which 40,000 are critically endangered.
According to the IUCN, the Komodo dragon is affected by climate change. Sea level rise is likely to lead to the disappearance of a third of its natural habitat in the next 45 years: omnivorous animals, up to three meters in length, live in eastern Indonesia, in the Komodo National Park and on the neighboring island of Flores for millions. Years. It is estimated that there are still about 6000 animals left.
The IUCN has better tuna news: The stocks of four of the seven most popular tuna species have recovered after decades of protection measures. Fishing quotas and consistent anti-poaching measures have had an impact.
For example, the IUCN estimates that the number of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) living in the Mediterranean has increased by 22 percent over the past four decades. This species was previously listed as “endangered”, but has been improved by three degrees. It is no longer considered endangered. This also applies to whitefin tuna (Thunnus alalunga) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), which have improved by one level. The population of the still critically endangered southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) has also recovered slightly, and has been upgraded from Category 6 to Category 5.
The IUCN is committed to protecting nature and species. It has more than 1,300 members, including ministries, federal agencies, nature conservation societies, and research institutes. It is currently holding a species protection conference in Marseille.
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