July 21 () –
Experts warn that effective national and international laws are needed to reverse the decline of populations of large carnivores, such as tigers, wolves and eagles, and reduce their risk of extinction, according to a study published in the journal ‘Scientific Reports’. The authors find that, of the 362 species of carnivores evaluated, only 12 species (mostly marine mammals) have shown a true improvement in extinction risk.
carnivores protected by international law are 6.8 times more likely to show a lower risk of extinctionwhile those with controlled hunting plans were three times more likely to be at lower risk of extinction, according to this study.
Large carnivores play a crucial role in ecosystems, but common traits such as requiring large areas to live, and having low reproductive rates and high potential for conflict with humans, make the conservation of large carnivores particularly important. hard.
Using the existing databases. Species on this list included leopard, yellowfin tuna, steppe eagle, and gharial, among others.
The authors compiled data on population trends and their extinction risk status from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) database in 2019, and report that 137 (37.8 %) of large carnivore species were considered threatened (classified as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered). Marine mammals had the lowest proportion of threatened species (26.5%), while 60.9% of the included sharks and rays were threatened.
Next, the authors evaluated the recovery of populations of large carnivores, based on whether the IUCN indicated an increasing population trend and whether their IUCN status had improved since they were first assessed. 39 species (10.7%) showed recovery in one or both factors, although these improvements were concentrated among marine mammals, such as humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus). Among land mammals, only the Iberian lynx (‘Lynx pardinus’) met either of the two recovery criteria.
Finally, the authors compared the patterns of specific conservation actions — such as habitat protection and hunting restrictions — with whether the species’ population was showing signs of recovery. National and international legislation and the identification of conservation sites were associated with reduced risk of extinction of carnivore speciesand the authors suggest that these results provide a ray of hope that the decline of large carnivore populations can be reversed.
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