REPORT: Nearly Half Of The World’s Migratory Species Are In Decline
February 12, 2024 2:24AM AKST
FILE - This Wednesday, March 6, 2019 photo provided by the NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary shows an entangled subadult humpback whale that was freed of gear by a team of trained responders off Makena Beach, Hawaii. Nearly half of the world's migratory species are in decline, according to a new United Nations report released Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. Many songbirds, sea turtles, whales, sharks and migratory animals move to different environments with changing seasons and are imperiled by habitat loss, illegal hunting and fishing, pollution and climate change. (Ed Lyman/NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary via AP, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new United Nations report says nearly half of the world’s migratory species are in decline.
Many songbirds, sea turtles, whales, sharks and other migratory animals move to different environments with changing seasons.
They face threats including habitat loss, illegal hunting and fishing, pollution and climate change.
The U.N. report released Monday found 44% of migratory species worldwide are declining in population.
More than a fifth of species monitored by the U.N. are threatened with extinction.
The report relied on existing data including from the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, which tracks whether a species is endangered.
