Million species on brink of extinction, call to arms issued

A million species are at risk of ­extinction as a result of human ­activity, according to a United ­Nations report on biodiversity.

An endangered female giant panda, Huan Huan. Picture: AFP

A million species are at risk of ­extinction as a result of human ­activity, according to a UN report on biodiversity.

The assessment, the first of its kind since 2005, involved almost 500 experts from 50 countries and is the most comprehensive study yet into the overall state of the world’s ecosystems.

The authors, who considered thousands of studies and scientific sources, warned that the loss of wildlife at this level posed as big a threat as climate change to ­humans, as humans relied on many animals for “ecosystem services”, such as pollination and the cleaning of water.

Robert Watson, chairman of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, which produced the 1800-page ­report, said: “Our destruction of bio­diversity and ecosystem services has reached levels that threaten our wellbeing.” Sir Robert also said there was a “closing window of ­opportunity to act”.

Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, said the report should spur action. “No one will be able to claim that they did not know. We can no longer continue to destroy the diversity of life. This is our responsibility towards future generations.”

Its authors hope the findings will encourage governments to come together for a “Paris ­moment”, in reference to the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, which created inter­national targets for tackling carbon emissions. They want it to form the basis of negotiations next year that will set similar targets to stop the loss of wildlife.

The Times