A 60-Year Barometer Sounds a New Alarm
In July 2026, as the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species celebrated its 60th anniversary, a major update to the global database revealed a new and emerging threat to some of Earth's most unusual creatures. The assessment found that 62% of mollusc species known to live exclusively around deep-sea hydrothermal vents are now at risk of extinction due to the nascent deep-sea mining industry.
The IUCN Red List, established in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of biological species. Over six decades, it has assessed more than 169,000 species, with over 49,500 currently classified as threatened with extinction. The July 2026 update added fresh assessments of hundreds of species, with the deep-sea vent molluscs emerging as one of the most striking findings.
Life at the Vents
Hydrothermal vents are fissures in the Earth's crust, typically found along mid-ocean ridges at depths of 2,000 to 4,000 metres, where geothermally heated water escapes from beneath the seafloor. These vents support unique ecosystems that thrive in complete darkness, powered not by sunlight but by chemosynthesis—bacteria that convert chemical compounds like hydrogen sulphide into energy.
The molluscs that inhabit these vents—including snails, clams, and mussels—have evolved extraordinary adaptations to survive in one of Earth's most extreme environments. Some species, like the scaly-foot gastropod, incorporate iron sulphide into their shells, effectively wearing chain mail against crab predators. Others host chemosynthetic bacteria in their gills, deriving nutrition directly from the vent chemicals.
These species are endemic to specific vent systems, meaning they occur nowhere else on Earth. This extreme localisation makes them particularly vulnerable to disturbance: a single mining operation at a vent site could potentially wipe out an entire species.
The Deep-Sea Mining Threat
The emerging deep-sea mining industry targets three main types of seabed deposits: polymetallic nodules on abyssal plains, seafloor massive sulphides at hydrothermal vents, and cobalt-rich crusts on seamounts. The sulphides at vents are particularly attractive to miners because they contain high concentrations of copper, zinc, silver, and gold.
Several companies and national governments have been pursuing deep-sea mining licences through the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the UN body that regulates mining in international waters. The Metals Company (TMC), a Canadian firm, has been at the forefront, with plans to apply for exploitation licences in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean.
The IUCN assessment specifically evaluated the threat that mining poses to vent molluscs. The process of extracting seafloor sulphides involves physically removing the vent structures and surrounding substrate, destroying the habitat that these species depend on. Unlike terrestrial mining impacts, which can sometimes be mitigated through habitat restoration, deep-sea vent ecosystems recover on timescales of decades to centuries, if they recover at all.
A Milestone Anniversary
The 2026 update came as the IUCN Red List marked 60 years since its inception. Over that period, the Red List has evolved from a set of index cards compiled by a small team into a globally standardised, database-driven assessment system used by governments, conservation organisations, and researchers worldwide.
Throughout its anniversary year, the IUCN has been promoting several initiatives to strengthen and expand the Red List's reach:
- Green Status of Species: A complementary framework that assesses not just extinction risk but also species recovery—how close a species is to its fully recovered state. The Green Status provides a more nuanced picture of conservation progress, acknowledging that a species can be removed from the threatened categories while still being far from ecological recovery.
- National Red Lists: The IUCN has been expanding support for country-level red lists, which provide finer-scale assessments that can inform national conservation policies. New guidelines for national red listing were launched at IUCN Regional Conservation Forums in 2026.
- Indigenous knowledge integration: Discussions throughout the year have focused on incorporating indigenous and traditional knowledge into species assessments, recognising that local communities often possess detailed understanding of species trends that complements scientific data.
The Broader Extinction Crisis
The vent mollusc assessment is part of a broader pattern of escalating extinction risk documented by the Red List. With over 49,500 species now classified as threatened, the scale of the crisis continues to grow. The 2026 updates have highlighted threats from diverse sources: habitat loss, climate change, pollution, invasive species, and now emerging industries like deep-sea mining.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022, set 23 targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. Target 3 aims to conserve 30% of land and sea areas through protected areas and other effective conservation measures. However, the deep-sea vent findings underscore a gap: most hydrothermal vents lie in international waters, where governance frameworks are weaker and protected area coverage is minimal.
Sources
- IUCN, IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, iucnredlist.org, July 2026 update
- Reuters via The Japan News, Red List: Deep-Sea Mining Threatens Mollusks, japannews.yomiuri.co.jp, 25 July 2026
- IUCN, IUCN Red List Report: 60 Years of Success, iucn.org, 2026
- Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, Science Spotlight: Hydrothermal Vent Molluscs at Risk, August 2026
- Natural World Fund, IUCN Red List Reveals Growing Threat to Endangered Species, naturalworldfund.org.uk, August 2026
FIRAT Editorial Board
Institutional Research Desk · Foresight Institute of Research and Translation
The collective editorial and research translation board of FIRAT, synthesising peer-reviewed evidence, policy briefs, and division milestones across our seven foundational research pillars.
