The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which draws up a global red list of threatened species, currently has data on 150,000 plant and animal species, of which around 41,000 are threatened with extinction, or 28% of the total.
This represents 41% of amphibians, 38% of sharks and rays or 27% of mammals.
But for thousands of other species, the IUCN lacks data to assess their conservation status, which can range from "least concern" to "critically endangered" or even "extinct".
Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have used a machine learning technique, via an algorithm, to derive estimates for 7,699 species for which data are missing.
It shows that 4,336 of them, or more than half, would probably be threatened with extinction, including 85% of the amphibians on this additional list and 61% of the mammals.
"We see that across most land and coastal areas around the world, the rate of extinction could be higher by including species for which we lack data," the lead author said. study, Jan Borgelt, with AFP.
This analysis also highlights certain regions where the risk is greater, such as Madagascar, rich in unique fauna, or southern India.
It could help the IUCN to develop a strategy concerning undervalued species, hopes Jan Borgelt.
A UN report published in 2019 warned that a million species are threatened with extinction in the medium and long term, due to habitat loss, climate change, invasive invasive species or even their overuse.
© 2022 AFP