"World’s largest lizard moves from vulnerable to endangered on IUCN red list of threatened species"
"The komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard, is threatened with extinction as rising water levels driven by the climate crisis shrink its habitat, according to the latest “red list” update.
Endemic to a handful of Indonesian islands, the komodo dragon lives on the edge of forest or in open savannah, rarely venturing higher than 700 metres above sea level. Rising water levels are set to affect 30% of its habitat in the next 45 years, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which has changed its status from vulnerable to endangered.
The update – announced at the IUCN world conservation congress in Marseille – is the first for the komodo dragon in more than 20 years. It comes after the first peer-reviewed paper on how global heating would affect the giant lizards concluded “urgent conservation actions are required to avoid risk of extinction”."
Phoebe Weston reports for the Guardian September 4, 2021.
SEE ALSO:
"Group Says Almost 30 Percent Of Species On Watch List Face Extinction" (The Hill)
"Tuna Recovering, Rising Sea Levels Endangering Komodo Dragon - Red List" (Reuters)
"Indigenous Leaders Push New Target To Protect Amazon From Deforestation" (Reuters)
