Environment: thousands of rare species threatened by climate change

Kangaroos photographed in 2008 near Canberra, Australia.

Mark Graham / AP Photo

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These are rare species and they are in danger: this is what shows a study published Thursday, October 8 in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

An ongoing ecological drama that could also endanger our planet.

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Brazilian yellow-headed marmoset, Australian Queensland tree kangaroo, or even non-flying parrot ... These are some of the more than 4,500 species of terrestrial mammals and a little less than ten thousand birds that are believed to be most threatened by climate change and human influence.

However, a study published in

shows the importance of the role of these species in the functioning of the ecosystem.

► Read also: CITES review: many better protected species, despite dissatisfaction

A crucial role in their ecosystem

Thanks to data collected on a global scale, researchers were able to identify and map each of these animals, by crossing both their criterion of geographic rarity, but also, for the first time, that of functional rarity.

Example with the black macaque from the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, whose species is threatened with extinction: this monkey feeds on more than 145 different fruits and thus plays a crucial role in the dispersal of tree seeds. 

But the study goes further.

Based on models from UN climate experts, it also shows that birds will be the most impacted by climate change.

Worse, she predicts that within 40 years, many of them are at risk of extinction.

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• Environment

• Climate change

• Weather

• Threatened species

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