Declining amphibian populations

Amphibians are particularly sensitive to changes in the environment. Amphibians have been described
as a marker species or the equivalent of canaries of the coal mines meaning they provide an important
signal to the health of biodiversity; when they are stressed and struggling, biodiversity may be under
pressure. When they are doing well, biodiversity is probably healthy.

Unfortunately, as has been feared for many years now, amphibian species are declining at an alarming
rate.

The Golden Toad of Monteverde, Costa Rica was among the first casualties of amphibian declines.
Formerly abundant, it was last seen in 1989. (Source: Wikipedia)

Malcom MacCallum of the Biological Sciences Program, Texas A&M University calculated that the
current extinction rate of amphibians could be 211 times the background amphibian extinction rate .

He added that If current estimates of amphibian species in imminent danger of extinction are included
in these calculations, then the current amphibian extinction rate may range from 25,039–45,474 times
the background extinction rate for amphibians. It is difficult to explain this unprecedented and
accelerating rate of extinction as a natural phenomenon. (Emphasis added)

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Reptiles threatened by climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, trade

(Image credit: Iker Cortabarria)

The BBC reported on a global-scale study published in the journal Science that found climate change
could wipe out 20% of the world's lizard species by 2080.

Global projection models used by the scientists suggested that lizards have already crossed a threshold
for extinctions caused by climate change.

The fear of lowland species moving to higher elevations has long been predicted as an effect of climate
change. This has been observed with lizard populations too, as the leader of the research team told the
BBC.
Why are lizards so sensitive to climate change? The BBC summarizes:

Lizards, the researchers say, are far more susceptible to climate-warming extinction than previously
thought. Many species live right at the edge of their thermal limits.

Rising temperatures, they explained, leave lizards unable to spend sufficient time foraging for food, as
they have to rest and regulate their body temperature.

Victoria Gill, Climate change link to lizard extinction, BBC, May 14, 2010

Green vine snake amongst the reptiles facing extinction. (Image credit: © Ruchira Somaweera/IUCN)

More generally, 19% of the world’s reptiles are estimated to be threatened with extinction, according to
a study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Zoological Society of
London.

Reptiles include species such as snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles and tortoises.

The study noted that the extinction risk is not evenly spread. For example, the study estimated 30% of
freshwater reptiles to be close to extinction. Freshwater turtles alone are at a 50% risk of extinction, as
they are also affected by national and international trade.

Why are reptiles so sensitive to environmental conditions? The lead author on the paper summarizes:

Reptiles are often associated with extreme habitats and tough environmental conditions, so it is easy to
assume that they will be fine in our changing world. However, many species are very highly specialized
in terms of habitat use and the climatic conditions they require for day to day functioning. This makes
them particularly sensitive to environmental changes.

Dr Monika Böhm, Almost one in five reptiles struggling to survive, IUCN, February 15, 2013

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Dwindling fish stocks

The UN’s 3rd Global Biodiversity Outlook report, mentioned earlier, notes that,

About 80 percent of the world marine fish stocks for which assessment information is available are fully
exploited or overexploited.

Fish stocks assessed since 1977 have experienced an 11% decline in total biomass globally, with
considerable regional variation. The average maximum size of fish caught declined by 22% since 1959
globally for all assessed communities. There is also an increasing trend of stock collapses over time, with
14% of assessed stocks collapsed in 2007.

Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2010), Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, May, 2010,
p.48

IPS reports that fish catches are expected to decline dramatically in the world’s tropical regions because
of climate change. Furthermore, in 2006, aquaculture consumed 57 percent of fish meal and 87 percent
of fish oil as industrial fisheries operating in tropical regions have been scooping up enormous amounts
of fish anchovies, herring, mackerel and other small pelagic forage fish to feed to farmed salmon or turn
into animal feed or pet food. This has resulted in higher prices for fish, hitting the poorest the most.

As Suurkula mentioned above, mass extinctions of marine life due to industrialized fishing has been a
concern for many years. Yet, it rarely makes mainstream headlines. However, a report warning of
marine species loss becoming a threat to the entire global fishing industry did gain media attention.

(Image source: Wikipedia)

A research article in the journal, Science, warned commercial fish and seafood species may all crash by
2048.

At the current rate of loss, it is feared the oceans may never recover. Extensive coastal pollution, climate
change, over-fishing and the enormously wasteful practice of deep-sea trawling are all contributing to
the problem, as Inter Press Service (IPS) summarized.

As also explained on this site’s biodiversity importance section, ecosystems are incredibly productive
and efficient—when there is sufficient biodiversity. Each form of life works together with the
surrounding environment to help recycle waste, maintain the ecosystem, and provide services that
others—including humans—use and benefit from.
For example, as Steve Palumbi of Stamford University (and one of the authors of the paper) noted, the
ocean ecosystems can

Take sewage and recycle it into nutrients;

Scrub toxins out of the water;

Produce food for many species, including humans

Turns carbon dioxide into food and oxygen

With massive species loss, the report warns, at current rates, in less than 50 years, the ecosystems could
reach the point of no return, where they would not be able to regenerate themselves.

Dr. Boris Worm, one of the paper’s authors, and a world leader in ocean research, commented that:

Whether we looked at tide pools or studies over the entire world’s ocean, we saw the same picture
emerging. In losing species we lose the productivity and stability of entire ecosystems. I was shocked
and disturbed by how consistent these trends are—beyond anything we suspected.

Dr. Boris Worm, Losing species, Dalhousie University, November 3, 2006

Current is an important word, implying that while things look dire, there are solutions and it is not too
late yet. The above report and the IPS article noted that protected areas show that biodiversity can be
restored quickly. Unfortunately, less than 1% of the global ocean is effectively protected right now and
where [recovery has been observed] we see immediate economic benefits, says Dr. Worm. Time is
therefore of the essence.

In an update to the above story, 3 years later, 2009, Dr. Worm was a bit more optimistic that some fish
stocks can rebound, if managed properly. But it is a tough challenge since 80 percent of global fisheries
are already fully or over-exploited.

An example of overfishing that has a ripple-effect on the whole fish-food chain is shark hunting.

The Great White Shark is the largest predatory fish. (Source: Wikipedia)
An estimated 100 million sharks are being killed each year according to the journal, Marine Policy which
published a report in 2013 representing the most accurate assessment to date (although the challenge
in obtaining the data was reflected in their estimate range: 63 – 270 million, of which 100 million is the
median estimate.

Millions are killed from overfishing and trade. Many die accidentally in fishing nets set for tuna and
swordfish, while others are caught for their meat or just for their fins.

A demand for shark-fin soup in places like China and Taiwan is decimating shark populations. Shark fin
soup is considered a delicacy (not even a necessity) and can be extremely lucrative. So much money can
be obtained just from the fin that fishermen hunting sharks will simply catch sharks and cut off their fins
while they are alive, tossing the wriggling shark back into the ocean (to die, as it cannot swim without its
fin). This saves a lot of room on fishing boats. Some video footage shown on documentaries such as
National Geographic reveal how barbaric and wasteful this practice is.

Sharks are known as the apex predator of the seas. That is because in general sharks are at the top of
the food chain. Without sufficient shark numbers the balance they provide to the ecosystem is
threatened because nature evolved this balance through many millennia.

As WWF, the global conservation organization notes, Contrary to popular belief, shark fins have little
nutritional value and may even be harmful to your health over the long term as fins have been found to
contain high levels of mercury.

The additional concern is that many of the most threatened species are slow to reproduce, so their
populations cannot keep up with the rate they are being needlessly killed.

Another effect of overfishing has been the rise in illegal fishing. But even legal, high-tech fishing has
caused other social problems. Poor fishermen in Somalia have found themselves without livelihoods as
international fishing ships have come into their area destroying their livelihoods. Some of them have
then resorted to piracy in desperation. Clearly not all blame should be laid at the international fishing
system as it is also individual choice, but the desperation and other geopolitical issues in the region can
turn people to do things they normally would not.

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Declining Ocean Biodiversity

It is not just fish in the oceans that may be struggling, but most life in the seas. This includes mammals
(e.g. whales, dolphins, polar bears), birds (e.g. penguins), and other creatures (e.g. krill).

Ocean degradation has been feared to be faster than previously thought.

The health of the ocean is spiraling downwards far more rapidly than we had thought. We are seeing
greater change, happening faster, and the effects are more imminent than previously anticipated. The
situation should be of the gravest concern to everyone since everyone will be affected by changes in the
ability of the ocean to support life on Earth.

Professor Alex Rogers of Somerville College, Oxford, and Scientific Director of IPSO, Latest Review of
Science Reveals Ocean in Critical State From Cumulative Impacts , The International Programmed on the
State of the Ocean (IPSO), October 3, 2013

The factors affecting the ocean’s health includes:

De-oxygenation

Acidification

Warming

These impacts will have cascading consequences for marine biology, including altered food web
dynamics and the expansion of pathogens, the IPSO also notes. These factors are also looked at in
further detail on this site’s article on climate change and biodiversity as well as covered in more depth
by IPSO’s report, State of the Ocean.

The Census of Marine Life is a global network of researchers and scientists. They’ve been involved in a
decade-long initiative to assess diversity, distribution and abundance of life in the oceans. A better
understanding of these complex systems is clearly important given our dependence on the marine
ecosystem in various ways.