Marine species

IUCN is the foremost authority for the classification, monitoring and conservation of endangered species worldwide. The Global Marine and Polar Programme (GMPP) supports the work of the Species Survival Commission for all issues threatening the conservation status of marine species.

and 33% of reef corals

are facing extinction

About marine species and the IUCN Ocean Team

We engage at global and local levels with communities, fishing and tourism industries and oil and gas companies to raise awareness about the risks of species loss and to develop best practises to reduce the human impact on the environment.

Human activities are causing the extinction of species on Earth at a rate that far exceeds the pace of natural extinction. Habitat degradation, pollution, overfishing, illegal trade are among the leading causes of species decline.

Shark seen from below
Story

Important Shark and Ray Areas news

The IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group has developed the foundations for an expert-driven innovative approach to ensure that discrete portions of habitats, critical to shark species, are delineated and used in…