New U.N. Report Indicates 1-In-5 Migratory Species Now Threatened by Extinction
Many species around the world are in a lot of trouble, but migratory creatures are in particularly hot water. According to the first ever report on migratory animals from the UN, one in every 5 migratory species is under serious threat of extinction. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.
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00:00 Many species around the world are in a lot of trouble, but migratory creatures are in particularly hot water.
00:06 According to the first ever report on migratory animals from the UN,
00:09 1 in every 5 migratory species is under serious threat of extinction.
00:14 Climate change was named as a big factor, but surprisingly it wasn't the leading threat.
00:19 They say the biggest factors are habitat destruction and fragmentation,
00:22 largely due to urban sprawl and other destructive human industries,
00:25 but the other largest contributor is what they call "over-exploitation".
00:29 Here's Amy Frankel, the executive secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, to explain.
00:35 But in terms of over-exploitation, that term encompasses two different types of activities.
00:42 One is intentional taking or killing of animals, so that includes hunting,
00:47 taking for food, taking for sport, taking for sale, taking for religious reasons.
00:53 There's many reasons why people are taking animals.
00:56 And then the second type of impact or threat is bycatch or unintended or incidental capture.
01:05 They say over-exploitation affected some 70% of all migratory species.
01:10 Meanwhile, habitat destruction affected even more, at 75%.
01:14 Even in the group of UN-protected animals, which includes 1,189 species,
01:20 44% are in decline, with 22% of those threatened by extinction.
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