More than one fifth of the world’s reptiles are in danger of extinction, according to the first-of-its-kind global study of 10,000 species conducted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Conservation International.

What to know:

• Across all 10,196  species assessed, 21.1% were categorized as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered, meaning they are threatened with extinction.

• Almost 58% of all species of turtles and 50% of crocodiles require urgent conservation efforts to prevent their extinction.

• Although it is uncertain the risks posed by climate change, the biggest confirmed dangers are from agriculture, logging, urban development, and invasive species.

• Conservation efforts underway to help threatened mammals, birds, and amphibians will likely help many of the threatened reptiles.

• The potential loss of one fifth of all reptile species would be a devasting blow to global diversity and have implications to all species, including humans.

This is a summary of the article, “A global reptile assessment highlights shared conservation needs of tetrapods,” published by British journal Nature on April 27, 2022. The full article can be found on nature.com.

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