23 February 2012: According to a new International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) study, 12% of marine species surveyed in the Gulf of California, the coasts of Panama and Costa Rica, and the five offshore oceanic islands and archipelagos in the tropical eastern Pacific are threatened with extinction.

The study is the first IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assessment for all known species of marine shore-fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, sea birds, corals, mangroves and seagrasses in a major marine biogeographic region. Some of the threats identified include over-fishing, habitat loss and increasing impacts from the El Niño Southern Oscillation.

Its findings suggest that conservation efforts are needed for marine species in the geographic areas that are most threatened, including through the establishment of a marine protected area (MPA) around Clipperton Island in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The study also recommends that legislation should be implemented to limit mangrove removal from important fishery nursing grounds along the coasts of Costa Rica and Panama. Beth Polidoro, IUCN Marine Biodiversity Unit, and lead author of the study, highlights that the identification of threatened species and threats can help guide local and regional marine conservation priorities for biodiversity conservation, as well as inform policy. [IUCN Press Release]