More than a fifth of the world’s migratory species are at risk of extinction due to climate change and human encroachment, according to the United Nations’ first report on migratory animals, published on Monday, informs the Reuters agency, cited by Agerpres.

Billions of animals travel across deserts, plains and oceans each year to breed and feed, and “unsustainable” pressure on migratory species could not only lead to population declines, but also disrupt food supplies and threaten human livelihoods, the report said.

Among the 1,189 species analyzed under the 1979 UN Convention on the Protection of Migratory Animals, 44% are in decline and 22% may disappear altogether, the report also said.

The figures were based on estimates and data provided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as well as the Living Planet Index, which has been collecting data on the abundance of more than 5,000 species since 1970.

Monday’s report gives us “very clear guidance” on what governments should do to limit threats to migratory species, said Amy Frankel, executive secretary of the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

“It’s always about implementation,” she added ahead of the convention’s meeting this week in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Human activity is the greatest threat to migratory species

Humans are the biggest threat, with human activities including hunting, fishing and other forms of overexploitation affecting 70% of UN-listed species. Habitat loss has affected up to 75% of species, highlighting the need for greater connectivity between isolated ecosystems.

The report’s authors urged governments to avoid disrupting habitats and migration routes when installing infrastructure such as dams, pipelines and wind turbines.

“We need to look at the higher levels of government decision-making,” Amy Frankel said, “and what’s being planned to make sure we can … meet human needs without sacrificing the nature we need to survive.”

The pressure is compounded by changes in temperature that disrupt the timing of migrations, cause heat stress and cause increasingly destructive weather events such as drought and wildfires.

“Changes that were predicted several years ago are happening now,” added Amy Frankel. Members of this convention meet every three years to consider new species for addition to the list. Among the animals considered at this week’s meeting in Samarkand will be the giant Amazonian catfish.

The agency will also launch a new technical assistance program to help countries better protect their habitat, Amy Frankel added. Environmentalists have called on governments to meet commitments under a new global biodiversity treaty by 2022 to set aside 30% of the world’s land and seas for nature by 2030.

“If governments do everything they’ve promised to do, there will be good news in the next (UN report),” said Susan Lieberman, vice president of international policy at the Wildlife Conservation Society, which is attending the meeting in Samarkand.