Global Assessment Reveals Alarming Extinction Risk for Freshwater Fish

A new assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reveals that nearly a quarter of the world's freshwater fish species are at risk of extinction due to global heating, overfishing, and pollution. Climate change is impacting nearly a fifth of all threatened freshwater species, causing falling water levels, shifting seasons, and seawater intrusion. Out of the assessed species, 3,086 out of 14,898 are at risk of disappearing. The assessment also highlights the increasing threats to mahogany, Atlantic salmon, and green turtles, but there is good news about the saiga antelope population in Kazakhstan, which has increased by 1,100% in just seven years. The reintroduction of the scimitar-horned oryx in Chad is another success story, while the Atlantic salmon and green turtles are also at risk of vanishing due to habitat loss and climate change.