Wildlife decline globally amid bright spots

Bird populations are declining faster than previously thought and Arctic seals are edging closer to extinction – but the recovery of green turtles “reminds us that conservation works”, a new global assessment shows

ARCTIC SEALS
Loss of sea ice has caused number of hooded, bearded, and harp seals to decline sharply

BIRDS: Of 11,185 species of bird assessed, 61% are in decline, from 44% in 2016

Regions highlighted as at-risk due to loss of tropical forest
West Africa
Central America
Madagascar


GREEN SEA TURTLES
Once hunted for turtle soup, prized eggs and decorative shells, green turtle saw numbers collapse and has been listed as endangered since 1980s

After decades of global efforts – from protecting nests and releasing hatchlings to reducing accidental catch – green turtle populations have risen by 28% since 1970s

Schlegel’s asity
Bird species in Madagascar classified as “vulnerable”
Bearded seal

EXTINCTION: More than a quarter of all species assessed – 48,646 of 172,620 – threatened with extinction
Cycads (ancient plants)
Reef corals
Amphibians
Sharks & Rays
Conifers
Crustaceans*
Mammals
Reptiles
71%
44%
41%
38%
34%
28%
26%
21%

*Selected

Sources: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), BBC
Pictures: Francesco Veronesi, Mike Pennington, Getty Images
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