Migratory species in an increasingly precarious situation, warns a UN report

Europe 1 with AFP // Photo credits: MARCEL MOCHET / AFP 5:31 p.m., February 12, 2024

An alarming observation. According to a new report, published this Monday, February 12, under the aegis of the UN, the situation of many migratory species essential to the balance of nature is deteriorating. Among the species listed by the 1979 Bonn Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, one in five is threatened with extinction and 44% are seeing their population decline. 57 of the 58 listed fish species are threatened with extinction and 44% are seeing their populations decline.

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“The migration phenomenon itself is in danger”

“Migratory species are being hit hard,” laments the head of UN-Environment, Inger Andersen. They will look into the fate of these migratory species, which include animals emblematic of life on Earth such as sea turtles, whales and sharks, elephants and species of wild cats, and many birds. “The phenomenon of migration itself is in danger, because there are barriers and the habitats these animals need may be under pressure,” Amy Fraenkel, executive secretary of the Convention, told AFP. .

The migration of these animals can be guided by many factors such as the search for favorable climatic conditions, access to food or an ideal environment for giving birth to young. Animals are also subject to additional pressures such as pollution (pesticides, plastics, etc.) or even underwater noises or lights which disturb them. The threats to these animals are directly linked to human activity: loss, degradation or fragmentation of habitats mainly due to intensive agriculture or overexploitation by hunting and fishing, as well as climate change.

“This report shows that unsustainable human activities endanger the future of migratory species,” underlines Inger Andersen. “Creatures that not only act as indicators of environmental change, but also play a role in maintaining the functions of our planet’s complex ecosystems and ensuring their resilience,” she emphasizes. These species provide many services such as pollination, the transfer of nutrients from one environment to another, or the elimination of pests. Bats, for example, play an important role in the pollination of flowers and the dispersal of seeds, allowing the propagation of mango or papaya trees in certain countries.

The report not only makes this grim observation, but also calls for international cooperation to help animals which, by nature, know no borders and can sometimes travel thousands of kilometers. The ambition is also to fight against illegal or unsustainable catches, urgently take care of the species most threatened with extinction or increase efforts to tackle various pollution (light, noise, plastic, chemistry, etc.). .) and climate change. Finally, the report suggests further expanding the list of species listed by the Convention to draw attention to other endangered animals. It lists nearly 400 threatened or near-threatened species which do not yet appear in the Convention lists, such as American and European bison or the Indus dolphin.