Migratory wildlife in shocking decline, UN report reveals
Alex Berry
February 12, 2024
A first-of-its-kind report on migratory species has revealed a dire situation, with many animals facing extinction. The report, coinciding with a biodiversity conference in Uzbekistan, has called for urgent action.
1 in 5 migratory species covered by the UN convention are facing the threat of extinctionImage: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images
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A new UN report on migratory species has revealed that these key animals are facing dangerous population decline while some are on the verge of extinction.
The State of the World's Migratory Species report — the first of its kind — was published on Monday to coincide with the UN biodiversity conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on the Convention of Migratory Species and Wild Animals (CMS).
What was the key finding?
According to the report, of the species listed under the convention, almost half (44%) have already seen apparent population declines while nearly all of the fish species (97%) are threatened with extinction.
"Today's report clearly shows us that unsustainable human activities are jeopardizing the future of migratory species — creatures who not only act as indicators of environmental change but play an integral role in maintaining the function and resilience of our planet's complex ecosystems," Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Program said.
What are the major threats to migratory species?
Migratory species are those that travel each year for feeding and breeding. They cross seas and continents, sometimes covering thousands of miles.
As well as the intrinsic benefits that come from biodiversity, migratory species play a key role in maintaining global ecosystems. They are often involved in pollinating plants, transporting key nutrients, preying on pests and helping to store carbon.
Migrating animals
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The report states that the biggest threats to migratory species come from human activity: habitat loss and overexploitation.
Three-quarters of the CMS-listed species were affected by loss, degradation or fragmentation of their habitats. The report said that 58% of monitored sites considered key for CMS-listed species were experiencing unsustainable levels of human-caused pressure.
Overexploitation, meaning intentionally hunting or fishing as well as accidental capture, was reported as impacting 70% of the species listed in the CMS.
Of course, climate change, pollution and invasive species have also taken their toll on migratory species.
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A call to action
The report called on the international community to take steps to strengthen conservation and reverse the dire situation many migratory species are facing.
"When species cross national borders, their survival depends on the efforts of all countries in which they are found. This landmark report will help underpin much-needed policy actions to ensure that migratory species continue to thrive around the world," CMS Executive Secretary Amy Fraenkel said.
The policy recommendations include increasing efforts to tackle illegal and unsustainable capture of migratory species; increasing protections and managing of sites important to such species; and urgently addressing the threats against those species most in danger of extinction — including almost all fish species covered by the convention.
The report also added to the mounting calls for action against climate change and pollution. It also highlighted the need to include more species on the CMS listing.
The incredible journeys of migratory animals
From the Arctic to the Serengeti, whales, butterflies and other animals on the move make some extraordinary journeys. They mainly travel for food or sex, but some even set off in search of exfoliating skin treatments.
Image: picture-alliance/blickwinkel/McPHOTO/E. u. H. Pum
Pole to pole
It isn't unusual for animals to migrate to avoid harsh winters, but the sun-seeking Arctic tern takes this strategy to extremes. The small seabird flies between the Arctic and Antarctic to take in two summers each year and more daylight hours than any other animal. Making a round trip of 35,000 kilometers (21,748 miles), the tern breaks all records for migratory distances traveled.
Image: picture-alliance/blickwinkel/McPHOTO/E. u. H. Pum
Uphill struggle
If the tern takes prize for distance, the salmon surely deserves special commendation for effort. Hatching in rivers, they swim downstream to spend most of their lives at sea. But the hard work comes as they battle against the current and leap up waterfalls to make it home. If this wasn't struggle enough, hungry bears, eagles and people lie in wait for the exhausted fish as they near their goal.
Image: Imago/ZUMA Press/J. Mather
Midnight wanderers
By day, straw colored fruit bats hang from Africa's city trees like assemblages of broken umbrellas. But at twilight, they take gracefully to the air, traveling up to 180 kilometers before dawn and dispersing seeds and pollen as they feed. They span even greater distances by season, and in colossal numbers. Each fall, around 10 million of these "megabats" arrive in Zambia's Kasanka National Park.
Image: imageBROKER/picture-alliance
Spa break
Many whales hunt in polar regions but can travel 18,000 kilometers each year to enjoy warmer waters. Scientists had assumed they prefer to give birth in the tropics. But new research suggests they might be migrating for the sake of their skin. Whales need to molt, and in icy waters where their blood supply is drawn away from the skin, dead cells build up and put them at risk of infection.
It's hard to imagine a creature as tiny and fragile as a butterfly undertaking epic migratory journeys. And yet, surfing air currents, the monarch butterfly can travel up to 3,000 kilometers. In summer, they're at home in northern regions of the US, but when temperatures fall, they head south to California or Mexico to overwinter. Roosting together in large numbers helps them keep warm all year.
Image: M. Watson/picture-alliance/Mary Evans Picture Library
Third eye
Leatherback turtles travel up to 10,000 kilometers, from Canada to the Caribbean and Alaska to Indonesia. No one knows how they find their way from feeding grounds rich in their favorite foods like jellyfish to the beaches where they breed. But scientists believe a spot on top of the animal's head may allow light to reach its pineal gland, triggering its journey at the right moment of the year.
Image: Imago/Nature Picture Library
Following the herd
The mass movement of wildebeest across the African plains is perhaps the planet's greatest migration spectacle. With no real beginning or end, their circular route takes 1.5 million wildebeest, and a good number of zebras, gazelles and other grazers, through the Serengeti-Mara — crossing crocodile-infested rivers and dodging lions and packs of painted wolves —- in search of fresh food and water.
Image: S. Meyers/picture-alliance/blickwinkel
Slow food
Famous for their parental devotion, emperor penguins lay their eggs a good 100 kilometers from the Antarctic ocean where they feed. Mother and father must take turns to travel across the ice, fill up on fish, and make the long shuffle back to regurgitate it for their young. Their partner, meanwhile, goes hungry for weeks to shield the chick from cold that would otherwise kill it in minutes.
Image: Raimund Linke/picture-alliance/Zoonar
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The CMS conference in Samarkand will give world leaders the opportunity to agree to practices that could help protect these vital species.
"The global community has an opportunity to translate this latest science of the pressures facing migratory species into concrete conservation action," Executive Director Andersen said.
"Given the precarious situation of many of these animals, we cannot afford to delay, and must work together to make the recommendations a reality."
