Study recommends IUCN uplist emperor penguin

A new methodology has allowed researchers to better understand extinction risk for emperor penguins, leading them to recommend the International Union for Conservation of Nature uplist the species. The new method, which uses uncertainty in ecological and environmental projections, lends credence to the idea that the IUCN should change the penguin’s status from near threatened to either vulnerable or endangered. In the study published in Biological Conservation, the researchers found that the emperor penguins’ (Aptenodytes forsteri) life history and dependence on the Antarctic environment, which faces future changes, underscore the need to uplist the penguins. “Emperor penguins are vital indicators of ecosystem health in the Antarctic,” said Phil Trathan, an author on the paper and head of conservation biology at the British Antarctic Survey. “They also help inform us about wider changes in the earth system. Therefore, harnessing robust models that increase our understanding about uncertainty and risk is vital if we are to better conserve and protect this and other species.”

Read the study in Biological Conservation.