{"id":1724,"date":"2026-07-12T17:24:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T17:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centauriweb.hu\/en\/?p=1724"},"modified":"2026-07-23T18:45:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T18:45:13","slug":"species-risk-of-extinction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centauriweb.hu\/en\/species-risk-of-extinction\/","title":{"rendered":"One of social media’s favourite species is at risk of extinction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A social media favourite species is at risk of extinction<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Deep-sea mining threatens over half of the molluscs reliant on hydrothermal vents, a recent update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species\u2122 has revealed. In Australia, the numbat<\/a> has improved its status thanks to decades of conservation action, although its survival depends on continued efforts. At the same time in Namibia and South Africa, diamond mining and proposed industrial development have pushed the desert rain frog \u2013 a species popular on social media \u2013 towards extinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The IUCN Red List now includes 175,909 species, of which 49,505 are threatened with extinction.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cLife on Earth has adapted to survive in the most hostile and unusual habitats, such as deep-sea molluscs that live around extremely hot vents or the desert rain frog burrowing into the sand. Now as pressures on biodiversity mount across the planet, even the creatures with the most ingenious survival strategies are under threat. But let us not forget there is a clear path out of the biodiversity crisis: nature conservation works, as we are reminded again and again. By protecting the astounding range of biodiversity on this planet, we can preserve a welcoming environment for humans and wildlife alike,\u201d said Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Deep-sea mining threatens endemic molluscs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sixty-two per cent of endemic hydrothermal vent molluscs (125 out of 201 species) known worldwide are at risk of extinction due to deep-sea mining for valuable minerals, the IUCN Red List has revealed. Many of these molluscs \u2013 including snails, limpets, mussels, clams and chitons \u2013 have been discovered in the past 10 years and already face extinction due to human disturbance of their habitat. They can be found only at depths up to 5,000 metres below sea level, around vents that spew out water at over 450 degrees Celsius. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, as demand for minerals used in technology is increasing, seabed mining activity is growing. It creates sediment plumes that smother the animals, impacting their ability to breathe and absorb nutrients from the surrounding water. For example, Lirapex felix \u2013 a snail named for the researchers\u2019 luck in finding it \u2013 has today entered the Red List as Critically Endangered due to ongoing mining exploration in the Indian Ocean. Many vent species face similar threats as vents beyond national jurisdiction are explored for mining, with contracts controlled by many different countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global assessment of endemic hydrothermal vent molluscs also reveals the value of protected and conserved areas, where mining is not permitted. Over 30 vent species worldwide are Least Concern thanks to living in Marine Protected Areas. These include Provanna exquisita, an ornate snail that lives only in the Mariana Arc of Fire National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Provanna exquisita<\/em>, Chong Chen\/IUCN<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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„This global assessment reveals that molluscs endemic to deep-sea hydrothermal vents are one of the most highly threatened of all animal groups, at a critical moment for their future. Our new understanding of the impacts of deep-sea mining sheds light on a new frontier in science and conservation, providing important information as the International Seabed Authority meets in Jamaica this month. IUCN\u2019s position is clear: in 2021, the Union voted for a moratorium on deep-sea mining unless all risks are understood and the marine environment is effectively protected,\u201d said Prof Julia Sigwart, member of the IUCN SSC Mollusc Specialist Group and Head of the Marine Zoology Department at Senckenberg Nature Research, the Red List Partner that coordinated these assessments.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Conservation is working for the numbat, but invasives remain a threat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The status of the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) \u2013 the faunal emblem of Western Australia \u2013 has improved from Endangered to Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. The marsupial was widespread across southern Australia until the introduction and spread of cats (Felis catus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Its numbers shrank to around 300 animals by the late 1970s. Following research in the 1980s by Dr Tony Friend, member of the IUCN SSC Australasian Marsupial and Monotreme Specialist Group, and the creation of a Recovery Plan in 1994, the Western Australian Government and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy have worked to reduce the impact of feral cats and foxes through baiting and predator-proof fencing. In parallel, captive breeding at Perth Zoo and translocations have led to the establishment of at least five more self-sustaining populations. Thanks to these efforts, there are now between 2,000 and 3,000 numbats. However, the species occupies just 0.04 per cent of its original range. As feral cats and foxes remain a major threat, ongoing management is essential to the numbat\u2019s survival and recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for many other Australian marsupials, the story has had a far worse ending. Five species, newly recognised as a result of taxonomic review, have been confirmed as Extinct on the IUCN Red List today: the little bettong (Bettongia haoucharae) and crested-tailed, southern, northern and little mulgaras (Dasycercus cristicauda, D. archeri, D. woolleyae and D. marlowi), with no individuals reported for at least 60 years. This brings the total number of modern mammal extinctions in Australia to more than 40. Predation by feral cats and foxes is the leading cause of their decline, with climate change a growing threat to those remaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cToday\u2019s assessments show that long-term, strategic and collaborative conservation effort works; without it, invasive cats and foxes will continue to drive Australia\u2019s small marsupials and native rodents to extinction. Continued management is vital not only to maintain the numbat\u2019s unique evolutionary line as the last surviving member of the Myrmecobiidae family, but also to support its role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, as digging for the termites it eats increases rain penetration into the soil, helping protect woodlands,\u201d said Prof John Woinarski, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Australasian Marsupial and Monotreme Specialist Group.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Numbat, Tali Moyle\/Australian Wildlife Conservancy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Diamond mining puts the desert rain frog at risk of extinction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Diamond mining and energy infrastructure developments along the west coast of South Africa and Namibia have caused the desert rain frog<\/a> (Breviceps macrops) to move from Near Threatened to Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Expanding industrial developments, which include a green hydrogen project, are expected to impact up to one-third of the desert rain frog\u2019s range in South Africa and two-thirds in Namibia within the next 20 years. Suspected demand for the desert rain frog in the pet trade has also increased following a viral video of the species calling in distress. Climate change and associated heat stress and aridification are possible further strains on this species. Without conservation action, the population is expected to decline by 20 per cent in the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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„The new Red List findings for hydrothermal vent molluscs demonstrate why we need to protect the world\u2019s deep and high seas. We\u2019re still learning so much about the fragility found at the ocean\u2019s greatest depths. Until science has more thoroughly explored the marine ecosystems at the bottom of the sea, we must be cautious of deep-sea mining and other practices that disturb the sea floor,\u201d said Kathleen Flower, Conservation International Vice President of Biodiversity Science.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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