Nearly 21,000 species of plants and animals are on the verge of extinction.

According to the updated and published Red List of endangered plant and animal species on July 2nd, nearly 21,000 species are at risk of disappearing from Earth, including 41% amphibians, 33% coral reefs, and 25% mammals.

Armadillo - an endangered animal that lives in northeastern Brazil.
(Source: AFP/VNA)

Jane Smart, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the organization that compiled the aforementioned Red List, stated that the situation is alarming and the international community needs to take urgent and more effective action to prevent the increasing risk of extinction that threatens all plant and animal species on Earth.

According to the latest report, of the 70,294 species inventoried on Earth, 20,934 are "threatened with extinction," compared to 20,219 species on the list published last October.

The IUCN stated that the addition of more than 700 species, including freshwater shrimp, Cape Verde lizards, and Santa Cruz ray-finned fish, to the "Red List" indicates a very worrying situation.

According to IUNC experts, freshwater fish, an important food source, is facing threats from unsustainable fishing practices, habitat pollution, and the construction of dams globally.

Africa is home to a quarter of the world's land-based fishermen and is also the site of 27% of the continent's freshwater fish species that are critically endangered.

Not only freshwater fish, but marine fish are also being overfished, reducing commercially valuable fish stocks by up to 90%. More than one-third of stingray species (commercially valuable fish), including the Leopard Ray, are threatened with extinction.

Although more than 275 million people depend on coral reefs for food, 55% of coral reef fisheries have been overexploited, putting 18% of grouper populations at risk.

While crops provide at least one-third of the world's total food supply, 87 crops that provide 113 of the world's top food sources depend on pollination by insects, bats, and birds. However, these species are also threatened, including 16% of Europe's endemic butterfly species, 18% of bat species, 13% of bird species, and four hummingbird species that are endangered.

Besides pollination, bats and other birds also help control insect populations, preventing them from destroying crops and spreading disease.

According to (VNA) - M.D