Emperor penguins at risk of extinction, scientists warn

Source: The Guardian

Emperor penguins at risk of extinction, scientists warn

Suzanne Goldenberg
The Guardian, Sunday 29 June 2014 18.21 BST

The entire population of Antarctica's famous emperor penguins could fall by a third by the end of the century because of disappearing sea ice, putting them at risk of extinction, researchers said on Sunday.

The finding justified protecting emperor penguins under the endangered species act – as America already does for polar bear – the researchers writing in the journal Nature Climate Change said.

They also called for marine reserves to buffer the fish stocks penguin need to survive.

“The population is declining. Unless something changes to stop that, the population will go into extinction,” said Hal Caswell, senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and one of the authors.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/29/emperor-penguins-at-risk-of-extinction-scientists-warn