The world's most remarkable adaptations are being overwhelmed by humanity's destructive activities, warns the latest update to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Even creatures thriving in extreme environments, from searing hot deep-sea vents to arid deserts, face extinction due to human pressures like mining.
Among those now threatened are hundreds of mollusc species that call the deep-sea hydrothermal vents home. These unique organisms can survive water temperatures reaching 450°C, thanks to volcanic activity. However, an assessment indicates that two-thirds of these vent molluscs are at risk of extinction due to deep-sea mining, which churns up sediments and smothering delicate ecosystems. The snail Lirapex felix has been classified as critically endangered due to Indian Ocean mining, while those in marine protected areas remain relatively safe.
The unusual desert rain frog faces a similar threat on land. Unlike most amphibians that rely on water, this bulbous frog has adapted to require almost none, burying itself deep in the sand during the day and emerging at night to hunt insects in southern Africa. Yet, its existence is now threatened by diamond mining and energy infrastructure expansion along the west coasts of South Africa and Namibia, as well as a rising demand for exotic pets spurred by a viral video of its distinctive squeak.
Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General, highlighted the severity of the situation, stating that even the most ingeniously adapted creatures are under threat due to mounting global biodiversity pressures. The assessment of vent molluscs, coordinated by Professor Julia Sigwart at Senckenberg Nature Research, provides crucial information as the International Seabed Authority convenes in Jamaica this month. The IUCN previously voted for a moratorium on deep-sea mining in 2021, underscoring the urgency of the issue.
However, despite these grim revelations, the Red List also offers a beacon of hope. The numbat, a distinctive striped termite-eating marsupial from Australia, has made a remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction after decades of dedicated conservation work. Numbers rebounded from just 300 in the late 1970s to between 2,000 and 3,000 today due to protection from feral cats and foxes, captive breeding programmes, and translocations. Consequently, the numbat has moved from 'endangered' to 'near threatened', demonstrating that targeted conservation efforts can indeed reverse declines – although its range remains limited to a small fraction of its original area across southern Australia.