New Status: Arctic Seal Endangered

Arctic seals are threatened with extinction, mainly due to climate change and human activity, according to an updated list from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The status of the hooded seal has gone from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’, while the bearded seal and the Greenland seal are now considered to be critically endangered.

Seals are threatened by global warming, which is occurring up to four times faster in the Arctic than in the rest of the world and is affecting the ice that seals depend on. Increased shipping, mining, oil extraction, industrial fishing and hunting are also contributing to the growing threat, according to the organisation.

Many birds are also threatened worldwide. According to the IUCN, 11.5 per cent of the more than 11,000 bird species evaluated are at risk. A full 61 per cent of all bird species show declining populations – an increase from 44 per cent in 2016. The destruction of tropical forests is highlighted as one of the most serious threats to birds.

However, there are also positive developments: the green sea turtle is no longer endangered. According to the IUCN report, decades of determined conservation efforts have led to a 28 per cent increase in the population since the 1970s.

^{Cover photo: Chris Polk/AP/TT Archive photo of a seal of the species hooded seal.}