These are the most threatened ecosystems according to the first studies carried out for IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, areas considered to be collapsing or in critical danger of extinction.
The consequences of the human factor in nature are being seen in a way that is increasingly evident all over the world. Climate change is a reality , and therefore, the worst of the wars that humanity faces.
The concern for this serious problem, made necessary the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015 by 195 countries. Among the different objectives, the governments agreed to maintain the increase in the average global temperature well below 2 ° C with respect to pre-industrial levels and redouble efforts to limit it to 1.5 ° C. In addition, before and during the Paris conference, countries presented general national action plans against climate change to reduce their emissions.
Despite these measures, the figures indicate that the most developed countries are responsible for approximately 80% of the pollution , although, as a whole, they represent only 20% of the total population. The emission of CO2 in China , for example, accounts for almost 30% of the total percentage of pollution .
However, the emission of harmful gases is not the only practice that can end our planet, because in recent years, massive logging and urbanization is increasing alarmingly.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has produced a "Red List" to obtain a more complete picture of the state of the environment and its biodiversity . Through 20 case studies, an international team of biologists and conservationists designed criteria that could assess the health of all the varied ecosystems on Earth. The results thus show the ecosystems in greatest danger of extinction.
Last 2017, IUCN published a new report at the United Nations climate change conference held in Bonn (Germany) in which it reported that the number of natural World Heritage sites threatened by climate change has increased 35 to 62 in just three years , making climate change the fastest-growing threat they face.
Below, we present some of the most threatened ecosystems according to the IUCN.
Karstic springs in South Australia
Piccaninnie Ponds Karst Wetlands, located on the southern Australian coast and with more than 8 square kilometers of protected extension, is an ecosystem also included in serious danger of extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The danger, as an example, is such that of the 50 species of freshwater crayfish Euastacus that survive in these areas, 17 are already critically endangered .
Aral Sea
The Aral Sea (Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan) was the fourth largest lake in the world. Currently, only 10% of its surface survives, which one day covered up to 68,000 square kilometers . It is undoubtedly one of the greatest environmental disasters in our recent history. IUCN has described the Aral Sea as a collapsing ecosystem having lost its original biodiversity including 28 species of endemic fish.
Acacia Forests in Senegal, Mali and Mauritania
The desiccation plagues the already few plains of acacia forests that grow (or rather resist) in the basin of the Senegal River (Africa). Birds are disappearing and intensive agriculture and overgrazing are destroying the biodiversity of this emblematic area of the planet . The IUCN considers this zone in critical danger of extinction.
Peat bogs in Germany
These wetlands with their flooded areas and their depressions represent a true example of biodiversity. They are also areas with large carbon reserves , with a large accumulation of dead biomass. These peat bogs are being drained and converted into crops from which bioenergy is obtained; however, its destruction releases large amounts of greenhouse gases, responsible for climate change. The disappearance of peatlands such as those of Hunsrück and Eifel have forced IUCN to add them to the list of critically endangered areas.
Fynbos of South Africa
Fynbos of South Africa
The thickets of "fynbos" (plants with thin leaves), of great variety (8,500 species of plants) and colorful and that represent one of the botanical treasures of Africa, are also among the ecosystems at greatest risk of disappearance according to the IUCN. The responsible ones are the forest fires, the urban expansion and the destruction of the habitat because of agriculture .
Coorong in Australia
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature also catalogs the Coorong National Park of Australia and its lakes, forests and lagoons as a wetland in critical danger of extinction. Despite international efforts (it is recognized as a wetland of international importance), barely 10% of its original surface survives today (and in a fragmented way). The agricultural lands are one of the responsible for this agonizing loss.