GENEVA (AN) — Coastal mangrove forests are natural protectors against climate change, but over 50% globally are at risk of collapsing by 2050.
The alarming findings come from the first global study of mangroves on Wednesday for the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Ecosystems. Mangroves harbor fish and wildlife, protect against sea level rise, tides and storm surges, and store billions of tons of carbon.
But climate change, pollution and deforestation are taking a toll. Without significant policy changes, the study finds, climate change and sea level rise will wipe out more than half of the estimated 147,000 square kilometers of mangrove forest cover globally, equal in size to Nepal.
The world’s most authoritative listing of species’ extinction risks "is key to tracking progress towards the goal of halting and reversing biodiversity loss," said Grethel Aguilar, Swiss-based IUCN's director general. "The first global assessment of mangrove ecosystems gives key guidance that highlights the urgent need for coordinated conservation of mangroves – crucial habitats for millions in vulnerable communities worldwide."
28% of red list species are threatened with extinction
The study, which involves 250 experts in 44 countries, was released on the U.N.'s International Day for Biodiversity. It shows that as much as a third of the world's mangrove systems are threatened by climate change.
Some 19.6% of mangrove systems are endangered to such a degree that they face either a "very high" or "extremely high" risk of collapse. But the study also points to solutions such as protecting forests and restoring their lost areas, maintaining sediment flows, and allowing space for mangroves to expand inland, which helps them cope with sea level rise.
The red list has eight risk categories for each ecosystem ranging from "not evaluated" and "data deficient" to "critically endangered" and "collapsed."
Established in 1964, the red list assesses the global extinction risks of animal, fungus and plant species. With global biodiversity on the decline, more than 44,000 of the 157,100 listed species could face extinction.
That includes 41% of amphibians, 37% of sharks and rays, 36% of reef building corals, 34% of conifers, 26% of mammals, and 12% of birds.
