Arctic seals edge closer to extinction as sea ice vanishes – Mongabay

Report on the Escalating Threat to Arctic Seals and Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

A recent update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species highlights a significant decline in Arctic seal populations, directly impeding progress toward key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water). This report outlines the causes and consequences of this decline, emphasizing the urgent need for integrated global and local action to mitigate these threats.

• Three Arctic seal species have been reclassified to higher threat categories due to environmental degradation.
• The primary driver is climate change-induced loss of sea ice, a critical habitat for these species.
• Secondary pressures include increased human activities such as shipping and resource extraction, which conflict with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
• The crisis is indicative of a broader pattern of cryosphere deterioration affecting polar ecosystems globally, threatening biodiversity and the communities that depend on it.

Climate Change Impacts on Marine Biodiversity (SDG 13 & SDG 14)

The accelerated warming of the Arctic, occurring at nearly four times the global average, is the central cause of the seals’ population decline, representing a critical failure in achieving SDG 13 (Climate Action). The resulting loss of stable sea ice directly undermines SDG 14 (Life Below Water) by destroying the essential habitat required by ice-dependent seals for core life-cycle activities.

Updated Conservation Status of Arctic Seal Species

The IUCN assessment reflects the deteriorating environmental conditions with the following status changes:

1. Hooded Seal (Cystophora cristata): Uplisted from Vulnerable to Endangered.
2. Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus): Uplisted from Least Concern to Near Threatened.
3. Harp Seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus): Uplisted from Least Concern to Near Threatened.

Consequences of Sea Ice Loss

The degradation of sea ice habitat has led to widespread breeding failures and increased mortality rates. Key consequences that threaten marine biodiversity under SDG 14 include:

• Premature melting of ice leading to pup mortality from drowning, freezing, or predation.
• Reduced access to resting and feeding areas, compromising the overall health and survival of adult seals.
• Failure to recruit young seals into the population, leading to long-term decline.

Compounding Threats and a Widening Crisis

Beyond climate change, the loss of sea ice opens the Arctic to increased human activity, introducing additional stressors that conflict with the principles of sustainable development.

• Increased Shipping and Resource Exploitation: These activities introduce underwater noise, pollution, and disturbance, further degrading marine habitats in opposition to SDG 14.
• Unsustainable Practices: Bycatch in fisheries and pollution from industrial activities represent challenges to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
• Antarctic Parallels: A similar decline is emerging in the Antarctic, where species like the Antarctic fur seal face threats from sea ice loss impacting their food supply, indicating a global polar crisis.

Ecosystem Integrity and Community Impact (SDG 15 & SDG 11)

Arctic seals are keystone species whose decline has cascading effects on the broader ecosystem and human communities, impacting SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

• They are a primary food source for predators like polar bears, linking marine health to terrestrial biodiversity (SDG 15).
• They are a vital subsistence resource for Indigenous communities, and their decline threatens cultural and food security (SDG 11).
• They play a crucial role in regulating marine food webs and nutrient cycling.

Recommendations for Global and Local Action (SDG 17)

Reversing these trends requires a multi-faceted approach grounded in international cooperation, as envisioned in SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

1. Accelerate Climate Action (SDG 13): The most critical action is to implement large-scale, global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. International forums, such as the upcoming global climate summit, must be utilized to strengthen commitments.
2. Strengthen Local Protections (SDG 14): Governments must implement localized conservation measures, including safeguarding key habitats from human activity, reducing bycatch in fisheries, and curtailing noise and chemical pollution.
3. Promote Sustainable Practices (SDG 12): Actions must be taken to prevent overfishing of seal prey species and ensure that any resource extraction or shipping activities adhere to strict environmental standards.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article directly links the decline of Arctic seal populations to climate change. It states that “Global warming is melting away the sea ice they need,” and the “major driver of the declines… is breeding habitat deterioration as a direct result of climate change.” The call for “urgent global emissions cuts” and “large-scale efforts to slow or reverse climate change” firmly connects the issue to SDG 13.

• SDG 14: Life Below Water

  The article focuses on the threats to marine mammals (seals) and the broader marine ecosystem. It discusses threats beyond climate change, including “shipping, underwater noise, oil and mineral exploitation,” “bycatch in fisheries,” and “pollution.” It also highlights the seals’ role as keystone species that “regulate marine food webs,” making their protection crucial for the health of the entire marine environment, which is the core of SDG 14.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  While the seals are marine animals, SDG 15 is relevant through its focus on protecting biodiversity and threatened species. The article is framed around the “latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,” detailing how three seal species have “moved closer to extinction.” This directly relates to the goal of halting biodiversity loss and preventing the extinction of threatened species.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Under SDG 13 (Climate Action):
   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The article illustrates a failure to meet this target, as the rapid melting of sea ice demonstrates the vulnerability of Arctic ecosystems and the species within them to climate-related hazards.
   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. The IUCN’s call for “urgent global emissions cuts” and for governments to “accelerate action that protects biodiversity, stabilises our climate” at the next global climate summit directly addresses the need for policy integration.
2. Under SDG 14 (Life Below Water):
   • Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds. The article identifies “pollution” from increased human activity, such as “shipping and oil exploration,” as an added threat to the seals.
   • Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts. The article’s call to “safeguard key habitats from human activities” and reduce disturbances like “underwater noise” directly aligns with this target.
   • Target 14.4: By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing… The recommendation to “avoid overfishing species the seals and other predators rely on for food” is a clear connection to this target.
3. Under SDG 15 (Life on Land):
   • Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. This is the central theme of the article, which reports on the “uplisting” of the hooded seal to “endangered” and the bearded and harp seals to “near threatened” on the IUCN Red List, signifying a move closer to extinction due to habitat loss.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• IUCN Red List Status (Indicator for Target 15.5): The article is fundamentally based on this indicator. It explicitly states that the hooded seal was moved from “vulnerable” to “endangered,” and the bearded and harp seals from “least concern” to “near threatened.” This change in the Red List status is a direct measure of the increasing threat of extinction.
• Population Decline Rate (Indicator for Target 15.5): The article provides a specific quantitative example for a related species, noting that the “Antarctic fur seal… has declined by more than 50% over the last three generations.” This type of data is a key indicator for measuring biodiversity loss.
• Sea Ice Extent (Indicator for Target 13.1): The article repeatedly mentions “rapid sea ice loss” and the thinning and earlier melting of sea ice as the primary cause of the seals’ habitat destruction. The extent and thickness of sea ice are measurable indicators of climate change’s impact on the Arctic.
• Rate of Arctic Warming (Indicator for Target 13.1): The article cites a study stating that the Arctic is warming “about four times faster than the globe since 1979.” This is a specific indicator of the disproportionate climate-related hazards faced by the Arctic region.
• Breeding Success/Failure (Implied Indicator for Target 15.5): The article mentions “widespread breeding failures among ice-dependent seals” and that the “recruitment of youngsters into the populations are failing.” The rate of pup survival and successful reproduction is an implied indicator of population health and resilience.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: news.mongabay.com