Emperor penguins reclassified as 'Endangered'
Without urgent action, their population could collapse by half within 50 years, with functional extinction possible by the end of this century
© Klein & Hubert / naturepl.com / WWF
Key takeaways
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) moves emperor penguins from 'Near Threatened' to 'Endangered', informed by WWF-funded research.
- The impact of climate change on the emperor penguin’s Antarctic habitat is the main driver of their decline.
- WWF calls for emperor penguins to be designated as a Specially Protected Species under the Antarctic Treaty.
Emperor penguins have officially been moved to "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. WWF warns that without urgent action, their population could collapse by half within 50 years, with functional extinction possible by the end of this century.
Emperor penguins depend on stable Antarctic sea ice for at least 9 months a year—to mate, raise their chicks, and molt. But since 2016, sea ice levels have dramatically declined. In 2022 alone, four out of five known breeding sites in the Bellingshausen Sea collapsed, with thousands of chicks freezing or drowning.
WWF-funded research using satellite imagery has now documented an estimated 22% regional population decline in Western Antarctica between 2018 and 2023—worse than models predicted.
WWF is calling on governments to limit warming to 1.5°C and designate emperor penguins as a Specially Protected Species at the Antarctic Treaty Meeting in Japan this May.
© Doug Allan / naturepl.com / WWF
© WWF
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