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A United Nations report released Monday shows that the world’s migratory species are declining at an alarming rate. The State of the World’s Migratory Species report represents the most comprehensive assessment of migratory species ever conducted. It reveals that about 44 percent of migratory species worldwide are declining in population and 22 percent are threatened with extinction.
Migratory species face unique risks because they rely on the connectivity of multiple ecosystems, sometimes spanning national borders. They face threats from human activity such as habitat loss, illegal hunting and fishing, pollution, and climate change. The report also identified other contributing factors including pollution from pesticides, plastics, heavy metals, light, and noise, as well as barriers like roads, fences, and dams. “Migration is essential for some species. If you cut the migration, you’re going to kill the species,” said Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm.
Researchers say it is imperative to protect, connect, and restore habitats to recover these populations. They identified 9,500 key locations for these species and found that over half of those areas lack protected status. These results reinforce the importance of committing to the pledge made by governments in 2022 at the UN Biodiversity Conference to protect 30 percent of the planet’s land and water resources. While the United States was not one of the nations to formally ratify the biodiversity convention, the 30X30 pledge is in line with the Biden administration's America the Beautiful Initiative, which set the goal of conserving 30 percent of the nation's lands and waters by 2030.
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The list goes on and on and on of why I should be doing everything I can to diversify or maneuver. Be agile. Be thoughtful. The past will not be the future; what my dad did is not likely what’s going to work for me. It’s kind of daunting out there.”
