As humans continue to destroy the habitats of migratory animals, their numbers continue to decrease. Many of these species play important ecological roles, and certain ecosystems will be altered dramatically as a result. In order to protect migratory species, nations will have to come together and take conservation action — after all, animals don't adhere to any political boundaries.Â
About 44% of the world's migratory species are declining in population, a new United Nations report said, and of 1,189 monitored species, over one in five are being threatened with extinction. "When species cross national borders, their survival depends on the efforts of all countries in which they are found," the report said.
Migrating species are being threatened by habitat loss, illegal hunting and fishing, pollution, and climate change. "Migration is essential for some species. If you cut the migration, you're going to kill the species," Stuart Pimm, an ecologist at Duke University, said to The Associated Press.
"One country alone cannot save any of these species," said Susan Lieberman, vice president of international policy at the Wildlife Conservation Society. Experts are urging nations to make commitments to "restore and establish well-connected networks of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures," attempt to "halt human-induced extinctions and to ensure that any taking of wild species is sustainable, safe and legal," and promise to "address climate change and pollution," the U.N. report said. Ultimately, it is clear that ensuring the survival of migratory species is a collective responsibility. | 
