After compiling alarming data showing the steep decline of African penguins in recent years, researchers recommended the species be uplisted to the critically endangered list.
What's happening?
According to GroundUp, a team of 12 experts — including Dr. Richard Sherley of the Environment and Sustainability Institute/Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter in Cornwall, UK — conducted extensive research on the African penguin, which is currently categorized as endangered.
The team collected data on breeding pairs of African penguins from censuses taken between 1979 and 2023 in South Africa and Namibia. Their analysis, published in a paper titled "The African Penguin Spheniscus demersus should be considered Critically Endangered" by the scientific journal Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology, showed an alarming rate of decline in the species.
The researchers concluded that the African penguin meets the requirements for critically endangered categorization on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
Experts estimate that at the start of the twentieth century, there were between 1.5 and three million penguins. The species has been in decline since at least the 1950s, aside from a brief recovery period between the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Today, there are only about 31,700 African penguins left in existence.
"The global population has more than halved in the last decade," detailed GroundUp.
According to the scientific paper: "Substantially more birds (more than 25%) have been lost in less than 10 years than now remain in the African penguin population. Thus, it is not unreasonable to be concerned that — if these rates of decline persist — the species could become extinct in the wild by 2035."
Why are endangered species important?
Our planet provides us with air, water, and food, and we must protect it in order to sustain a safe future where these vital necessities are still in abundance.
Every plant and animal is important to biodiversity, which affects our food supply and many industries. The food chain is a critical component of our planet, and when one animal goes extinct, it creates a void, which can have a drastic effect on other species, including humans.
In order to protect ourselves, our economy, and the future of Earth, conservation efforts are critical.
What's being done about conservation?
While there are many vulnerable ecosystems and animals, there are also a lot of conservation efforts.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service created a process to collect biological material from at-risk species to help rebuild populations. Conservationists around the globe work to reintroduce vulnerable wildlife to habitats they can thrive in.
And the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service conducts reforestation projects to help with conservation of both plants and animals.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
