The bird is facing rapid population decline from competition with commercial fisheries and climate-mediated shifts in prey populations
From millions of African Penguin in the early 1900s, there are now only about 8,000 breeding pairs left. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has elevated the bird’s risk of extinction status to “critically endangered”.
“If we don’t act timeously, we could lose Africa’s only penguin species within our lifetime,” an expert warns.
The economic value of the iconic bird is in the billions of rands, according to a new report.
The decision was announced on Monday by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) which manages the Red Lists of Threatened Species world-wide. These lists are considered the “gold standard” for measuring extinction risk.
There are 18 penguin species globally, and the iconic African Penguin is the first to meet the criteria for this classification – just one rank below the “extinct in the wild” category.
According to the IUCN, the African Penguin has been raised from “endangered” to “critically endangered” because it is undergoing “an extremely rapid population decline, probably principally because of the impacts of competition with commercial fisheries and climate-mediated shifts in prey populations”.
Beside food shortages from shifts in the distributions of prey species and competition with commercial purse-seine fisheries, other factors for its population decline include historic egg collection and disturbances, such as guano harvesting on breeding islands, oil pollution, increased maritime traffic and associated activities like offshore bunkering and competition with and predation by Cape fur seals.
“Recent, near-complete count data for the number of breeding pairs show an alarming acceleration in the rate of decline and the current and future projected population reduction exceeds 80% over three generations. This trend currently shows no sign of reversing, and immediate conservation action is required,” the IUCN said.
Two bird conservation organisations, BirdLife SA and SA National Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), are currently in litigation with the national government over penguin conservation efforts relating to closed fishing zones around penguin breeding sites where the birds compete with the pelagic fishing industry for their prey: pilchards and anchovies.
Prominent African Penguin researcher Dr Richard Sherley of the University of Exeter said the IUCN’s decision highlighted “a much bigger problem with the health of our environment”.
“Despite being well-known and studied, these penguins are still facing extinction, showing just how severe the damage to our ecosystems has become. If a species as iconic as the African Penguin is struggling to survive, it raises the question of how many other species are disappearing without us even noticing. We need to act now – not just for penguins, but to protect the broader biodiversity that is crucial for the planet’s future.”
Source: all Africa.com