IUCN warns climate change threatens emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal
Emperor penguin (left) and Antarctic fur seal (right). The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has designated these two species as endangered today. Getty Images.
A new IUCN assessment signals rising risk to two emblematic Antarctic species as warming seas and sea ice loss undermine breeding and feeding habitats.
As stated by CNN
Climate change threatens two iconic polar species – the emperor penguin and the Antarctic fur seal – according to a new assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
New entries in the IUCN Red List highlight the impacts of warming oceans, melting sea ice, and reduced prey availability to support these species.
Changes in status and the causes of threat
The IUCN Red List is the authoritative assessment of species that are threatened and the reasons for their declines. It differs from ESA classifications, the United States Endangered Species Act, which in 2022 classified the emperor penguin as Endangered; the Antarctic fur seal is not currently listed under ESA classifications.
Both species are recognizable symbols of the polar world: the emperor penguin – the largest of penguins, standing over 90 cm tall and weighing about 45 kg; the Antarctic fur seal – the smallest among Antarctic seals, which previously faced near extinction, but thanks to conservation measures its population has recovered, yet is now again threatened.
The emperor penguin is moving from the “Near Threatened” to “Endangered” category on the IUCN Red List due to projections that the population could decline by half by the 2080s. Satellite data indicate that the penguin population declined by about 10% between 2009 and 2018, amounting to over 20,000 adult birds.
The main driver of the decline is climate change, which is causing an earlier breakup of sea ice and loss of ice.
For emperor penguins, sea ice is their primary habitat. They breed on fast ice that fronts the coastline. They molt on fast ice or on floes. They feed in waters among the ice in polynyas, leads, and cracks in the ice.
– Phil Trathan
The reduction of sea ice reduces their habitat. There is a threat of substantial reduction in the ice cover due to regional climate changes, which is likely to reduce breeding success and adult survival in the long term.
– Phil Trathan
According to Trathan, seasonal sea ice in Antarctica has significantly declined since 2016, leading to increased or even failed breeding in nearly half of the known emperor penguin colonies across the region.
As surface water temperatures rise near Antarctica, krill move away from the coast and dive into deeper waters to reach colder regions. This makes krill much less accessible to land-based predators that prey on it.
– Kit Kovacs
These new lists in the South Atlantic reflect changes already seen in the Arctic North Atlantic, where hooded seals, harp seals, and ringed seals already show significant declines in numbers.
– Kit Kovacs
These data underscore the need for intensified international cooperation, systematic monitoring, and environmental protection efforts to reduce the impact of climate change on key polar ecosystems and their inhabitants. It is also important to ensure long-term population monitoring and support adaptation measures so polar species can withstand future challenges.
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