Twelve Percent of Marine Species in Tropical Eastern Pacific Threatened

Researchers surveyed areas in central America and the eastern Pacific islands and found that 12% of marine species are threatened with extinction due to over-fishing, habitat loss, and weather patterns. This is according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which has documented at least 20 marine species that have gone extinct around the world.

The following is excerpted from the full article (link is available below):

“Twelve percent of marine species surveyed in the Gulf of California, the coasts of Panama and Costa Rica and the five offshore oceanic islands and archipelagos in the tropical eastern Pacific are threatened with extinction, according to a study by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and its partners. Main threats to the region’s marine flora and fauna include over-fishing, habitat loss and increasing impacts from the El Nino Southern Oscillation.”

“Released this week, the study is the first IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ assessment available for all known species of marine shore-fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, sea birds, corals, mangroves and seagrasses in a major marine biogeographic region. The analysis identifies specific geographic zones where conservation efforts are needed most, including around the mouth of the Gulf of California and the coastlines of Panama and Costa Rica, while also identifying the nature and location of the greatest dangers to marine life.”