Emperor Penguin Officially Listed as Threatened
The emperor penguin in Antarctica has been officially listed as threatened. Climate change is destroying the habitat of the largest penguin species.
On Tuesday, 26 October 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) in Antarctica as a threatened species.
Although this species is highly resilient and can endure strong winds and freezing temperatures in order to breed and protect its eggs and offspring, melting sea ice is currently destroying the habitat they need for breeding, feeding, and protection from predators, potentially pushing them to the brink of extinction by the end of the century.
«This listing reflects the growing extinction crisis«, said Martha Williams, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. «Climate change is having profound effects on species around the world».
Although the Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition with Fish and Wildlife as far back as 2011 to include the emperor penguin under the Endangered Species Act, no action was taken for more than a decade, further increasing the risks to this species. As earlier studies have shown, while the sea ice surrounding Antarctica has proven more resilient than that at the North Pole, nearly all emperor penguin colonies on the southern continent could face extinction by the end of the 21st century if urgent measures are not taken to drastically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
«This scientific evidence helped make this decision clear«, said Shaye Wolf, Climate Science Director at the Center for Biological Diversity. «The penguin is threatened by climate change and needs every protection it can get.»
Although the populations of the emperor penguin appear to be stable at present – 625’000 to 650’000 birds roam Antarctica – there are already alarming signs of what the future may hold for this iconic bird. In recent years, the breaking up of sea ice before chicks at Cape Crozier or Halley Bay were able to swim led to breeding failures.
Scientists and conservationists hope that listing this species as endangered will lead to stricter restrictions on krill fishing – the penguin's primary food source – in the waters surrounding Antarctica, and will compel United States authorities to consider the climate impacts of various federal projects before approving them.
«If we manage to take action, and above all now, we can still prevent extinction«, concluded Stephanie Jenouvrier, a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who has studied the current situation of emperor penguins in Antarctica.
The official document classifying the penguins as endangered can be accessed here: Link
