Human activities threaten species with ingenious survival strategies, deep-sea mining imperils molluscs

Deep-sea mining, for instance, threatens two-thirds of mollusc species found exclusively on hydrothermal vents, with over 200 species living in these extreme environments. One snail, Lirapex felix, is critically endangered due to mining in the Indian Ocean, though some vent species are protected in marine areas. The desert rain frog is also at risk from diamond mining and energy infrastructure expansion in Southern Africa, compounded by demand from the exotic pet trade.

However, conservation efforts can succeed, as demonstrated by the numbat, an Australian marsupial. Its population has rebounded from 300 in the late 1970s to between 2,000 and 3,000 today, moving from endangered to near threatened, thanks to protection from feral cats and foxes, captive breeding, and translocations. Despite this success, five other Australian marsupials have been confirmed extinct, likely due to feral predators.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN, which produces the Red List, notes that while life adapts to hostile habitats, increasing pressures threaten even the most resilient creatures. The IUCN advocates for conservation, having voted for a moratorium on deep-sea mining in 2021. The Red List currently includes 175,909 species, with 49,505 threatened with extinction.