A global map of species at risk of extinction due to natural hazards

An often-overlooked question of the biodiversity crisis is how natural
hazards contribute to species extinction risk. To address this issue, we
explored how four natural hazards: earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and
volcanoes, overlapped with the distribution ranges of amphibians, birds,
mammals, and reptiles that have either narrow distributions or populations
with few mature individuals. To assess which species are at risk from
these natural hazards, we combined the frequency and magnitude of each
natural hazard to estimate a probability of impact. We considered species
at risk if they overlapped with regions where any of the four natural
hazards historically occurred (n = 3,722). Those species with at least a
quarter of their range subjected to a high probability of impact were
considered at high risk (n = 2,001) of extinction due to natural hazards.
In total, 834 reptiles, 617 amphibians, 302 birds, and 248 mammals were at
high risk and they were mainly distributed on islands and in the tropics.
Hurricanes (n = 983) and earthquakes (n = 868) affected the most species,
while tsunamis (n = 272), and volcanoes (n = 171) affected considerably
fewer. The region with the highest number of species at high risk was the
Pacific Ring of Fire, especially due to volcanoes, earthquakes and
tsunamis, while hurricane-related high-risk species were concentrated in
the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and northwestern Pacific Ocean. Our
study provides important information regarding the species at risk due to
natural hazards and can help guide conservation attention and efforts to
safeguard their survival.