In some cases, such as lemurs and Caterpillar Fungus, their threats are known and understood. “Investigators have processed the scene for evidence and the burglary is under investigation,” it said, adding that lemur was an endangered animal and requires specialised care. It's a rare case of a species having its prospects upgraded in the latest IUCN update. This decline is being driven by a combination of increased mortality due to entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes, and a lower reproduction rate compared to previous years. In the new report, the Walia ibex, endemic to Ethiopia, the Turks and Caicos rock iguana and the Yunnan Asian frog of China all showed genuine improvement and had their Red List status upgraded. This lemur is found in the dry forests, spiny bush, montane forest, mangroves, rocky outcrops, and one rainforest in southern and south-western Madagascar, and in one humid forest in south-eastern Madagascar. In others, such as European Hamster, the picture is more uncertain. Hilton-Taylor, of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is referring to the "huge" gap in biodiversity data as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. "The stage will be reset, and all the learning from this year -- and all the past years that have gone before us -- will feed into that process, and hopefully we'll have a new, dynamic and ambitious post-2020 strategy," says Hilton-Taylor. The world needs to act fast to halt species’ population declines and prevent human-driven extinctions, with an ambitious post-2020 biodiversity framework which the upcoming IUCN Congress will help define.”. Among them is the Madame Berthe's mouse lemur, the world's smallest primate at around nine centimeters long. Photo: Mathilde Tissier (IPHC – LIFE Alister). "That's a really unusual (case)," says Hilton-Taylor, who heads the Red List unit, adding that the drop in litter size has yet to be fully explained. Furthermore, this information will be important to inform the post-2020 Biodiversity Framework, guiding progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Masako Yamato, General Manager, Environmental Affairs Division of Toyota Motor Corporation. The IUCN Red List threat categories are as follows, in descending order of threat: ©2020 IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, All 17 species of Red Colobus, including Temminck's Red Colobus (. Industrial development, agricultural monocultures (growing a single crop on farmland), global warming and light pollution are all being investigated as potential reasons, says the report. If nothing changes, the species is expected to go extinct within the next 30 years. Fewer than 250 mature individuals were estimated to be alive at the end of 2018. Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP), World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL), World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), Lower Risk/conservation dependent = 189 (this is an old category that is gradually being phased out of The IUCN Red List). Elsewhere in Africa, an estimated 53% of primate species (54 of 103) are now under threat of extinction. The situation for lemurs has also deteriorated. Hunting for bushmeat – much of it illegal – and habitat loss continue to pose the most urgent threats to primates across the continent. Thirteen lemur species have been pushed to higher threat categories as a result of intensifying human pressures. “Thanks to a very successful IUCN Lemur Conservation Strategy developed by our IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group, we were able to raise over 7.5 million USD for the IUCN Save Our Species Lemur Initiative. Verreaux's Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi). Climate change appears to be exacerbating the threats to North Atlantic Right Whales. Recent red listing work carried out by the Global Trees Assessment shows that the dry forests of Madagascar are home to 982 species of trees, 90% of which are showing declining population trends, and 59% of which are threatened with extinction. Madame Berthe's mouse lemur, the world's smallest primate, lives in Madagascar. Many of us may wish this was the case. “With about 40% of Madagascar’s original forest cover lost between the 1950s and 2000, reforestation is crucial to protecting all species of lemurs. Among those newly listed as Critically Endangered are Verreaux’s Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) and Madame Berthe's Mouse Lemur (Microcebus berthae), the smallest primate in the world, both of which were previously listed as Endangered. The IUCN Red List has today surpassed 120,000 species, with 120,372 species now assessed. The 4,260 animal, fungus and plant species assessments added to the Red List in this update, and the complete reassessment of all African primates, are essential to catalyse conservation action. The species is now critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. “In addition to these measures, more research into the various possible drivers of the European hamster’s disappearance is urgently needed to save it from extinction.”, "This is one of the few documented cases of a fungus being threatened by overharvesting," said Prof Gregory Mueller, Chair of the IUCN SSC Fungal Conservation Committee. These findings really bring home the urgent need for an ambitious post-2020 biodiversity framework that drives effective conservation action.”, “The dramatic declines of species such as the North Atlantic Right Whale included in today’s IUCN Red List update highlight the gravity of the extinction crisis,” said Dr Jane Smart, Global Director of the IUCN Biodiversity Conservation Group. “At the heart of this crisis is a dire need for alternative, sustainable livelihoods to replace the current reliance on deforestation and unsustainable use of wildlife. Strikes from ships, entanglement in fishing gear and a lower reproduction rate -- potentially related to stress, or whales finding it harder to catch food, Hilton-Taylor posits -- have caused the population to drop by approximately 15% since 2011. The European Hamster (Cricetus cricetus), once abundant across Europe and Russia, has suffered severe populations declines across its entire range and is now listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. This includes all 17 species of Red Colobus, making it the continent’s most threatened genus of monkeys. Of the 19 lemurs here, at 21.5 years, he has exceeded median life expectancy of 16.7 years, but is also one of the slowest, and we believe, likely, the easiest to catch,” Watters said.