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IUCN Red List 2025 Update: Arctic Seals and Birds Under Threat

14 Oct 2025 GS 3 Environment

Context:

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) the world’s leading authority on the conservation status of species released an updated Red List of Threatened Species during the World Conservati..on Congress in Abu Dhabi. The latest update highlights alarming declines among Arctic seals and global bird populations, largely driven by climate change and human-induced habitat degradation.

Key Highlights of the 2025 IUCN Red List

  • Total species assessed: 172,620

  • Species threatened with extinction: 48,646

  • Major drivers of decline: Climate change, logging, agricultural expansion, maritime traffic, mining, and industrial fishing.

Arctic Seals: Climate Victims

  1. Status Change:

    • Hooded seal: Moved from Vulnerable → Endangered

    • Bearded seal and Harp seal: Reclassified as Near Threatened

  2. Primary Threats:

    • Global Warming: Occurring four times faster in the Arctic than elsewhere, drastically reducing sea ice extent and duration.

    • Human Activities: Maritime traffic, oil extraction, and industrial fishing disturb feeding and breeding grounds.

  3. Ecological Role:

    • Keystone species: Ice-dependent seals are central to Arctic food webs, consuming fish and invertebrates while providing nutrition to polar bears and other predators.

    • Nutrient recycling: Maintain ecological balance through their role in marine nutrient cycles.

  4. Scientific Concern:

    • Drastic loss of sea ice cover in regions like Svalbard Archipelago which once had five months of ice cover, now nearly ice-free in winters reflects the accelerating pace of Arctic warming.

Global Birds: Silent Decline

  1. Assessment Overview:

    • Total species assessed: 11,185

    • Globally threatened species: 1,256 (11.5%)

    • Bird species with declining populations: 61% (up from 44% in 2016).

  2. Main Causes:

    • Habitat loss due to logging, agricultural expansion, and tropical deforestation.

    • Rising human encroachments in Madagascar, West Africa, and Central America have newly pushed several species into Vulnerable or Near Threatened categories.

  3. Regional Impacts:

    • Madagascar: 14 new species near threatened, 3 vulnerable.

    • West Africa: 5 new species near threatened.

    • Central America: 1 additional species near threatened.

Positive Conservation Story: The Green Turtle

  • Status: Downlisted no longer Endangered.

  • Population Recovery: 28% increase since the 1970s due to decades of sustained conservation, protection of nesting sites, and global awareness.

  • Cautionary Note: Conservationists warn against complacency sustained efforts are vital to maintain recovery.

Significance of Findings

  1. Climate Change as an Accelerator:
    The Arctic is warming at a rate four times faster than the global average, directly affecting ice-dependent species.

  2. Global Biodiversity Crisis:
    Over one-fourth of the world’s known species face the threat of extinction, reflecting an urgent need for stronger conservation frameworks.

  3. Ecosystem Interdependence:
    The decline of keystone species like seals can destabilize entire food webs, threatening oceanic biodiversity and fisheries.

  4. Warning Signal for SDGs:
    These findings threaten progress toward SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land), as well as the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) targets.



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