Four out of six great apes one step away from extinction
05 September, New Delhi
Four of the six great apes – Eastern Gorilla, Western Gorilla, Bornean Orangutan and Sumatran Orangutan – are now listed as ‘Critically Endangered,’ whilst the Chimpanzee and Bonobo are listed as ‘Endangered’.
The Eastern Gorilla – the largest living primate – has been listed as Critically Endangered due to illegal hunting, according to the latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Red List update also reports the decline of the Plains Zebra due to illegal hunting, and the growing extinction threat to Hawaiian plants posed by invasive species. Thirty eight of the 415 endemic Hawaiian plant species assessed for this update are listed as Extinct and four other species have been listed as Extinct in the Wild, meaning they only occur in cultivation.
The IUCN Red List now includes 82,954 species of which 23,928 are threatened with extinction. The Eastern Gorilla – which is made up of two subspecies – has moved from Endangered to Critically Endangered due to a devastating population decline of more than 70 per cent in 20 years. Its population is now estimated to be fewer than 5,000. Grauer’s Gorilla, one subspecies of Eastern Gorilla – has lost 77 per cent of its population since 1994, declining from 16,900 individuals to just 3,800 in 2015. Killing or capture of great apes is illegal; yet hunting represents the greatest threat to Grauer’s Gorillas.
The second subspecies of Eastern Gorilla – the Mountain Gorilla – is faring better and has increased in number to around 880 individuals. “To see the Eastern gorilla – one of our closest cousins – slide towards extinction is truly distressing,” says Inger Andersen, IUCN Director General. The once widespread and abundant Plains Zebra has moved from Least Concern to Near Threatened.
The population has reduced by 24 per cent in the past 14 years from around 6,60,000 to a current estimate of just over 500,000 animals. The Plains Zebra is threatened by hunting for bushmeat and skins, especially when they move out of protected areas. “Illegal hunting and habitat loss are still major threats driving many mammal species towards extinction,” says Carlo Rondinini, Coordinator of the mammal assessment at Sapienza University of Rome.
Invasive species such as pigs, goats, rats, slugs, and non-native plants are destroying the native flora in Hawai’i. As many as 415 endemic Hawaiian plant species assessed so far for The IUCN Red List (out of 1,093 endemic plant species), 87 per cent are threatened with extinction, including the Endangered ‘Ohe kiko’ola – a beautiful flowering tree found only on the island of Kauai. Thirty Eight have been listed as Extinct, including the shrubs ‘Oha Wai and Hibiscadelphus woodii.
There is some good news as The Giant Panda, previously on the endangered list is now listed as vulnerable, as its population has grown due to effective forest protection and reforestation. The improved status confirms that the Chinese government’s efforts to conserve this species are effective. Due to successful conservation actions, the Tibetan Antelope has moved from Endangered to Near Threatened.
The population underwent a severe decline from around one million to an estimated 65,000-72,500 in the 1980s and early 1990s. This was the result of commercial poaching for the valuable underfur – shahtoosh – which is used to make shawls. It takes 3-5 hides to make a single shawl, and as the wool cannot be sheared or combed, the animals are killed.
Rigorous protection has been enforced since then, and the population is currently likely to be between 100,000 and 150,000. Other conservation successes include the Greater Stick-nest Rat and Bridled Nailtail Wallaby, both endemic to Australia.