WELLINGTON Authentic James Bradberry Jersey , May 17 (Xinhua) -- Iconic yellow-eyed penguins could disappear from New Zealand's Otago Peninsula by 2060 due to climate change, latest research warns, calling for coordinated conservation action.


In a newly-published study in the international biomedical sciences journal PeerJ, Otago-based researchers have modeled factors driving mainland yellow-eyed penguin population decline and are calling for action to reduce regional threats.


According to the researchers' prediction models, breeding success of the penguins will continue to decline to extinction by 2060 largely due to rising ocean temperatures. But these predictions also point to where our conservation efforts could be most effective in building penguins' resilience against climate change.


The yellow-eyed penguin, classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Authentic Taylor Moton Jersey , is a key attraction for New Zealand tourism. Yet, the chances of seeing the penguins in the wild are quietly slipping away, the new research suggested.


About 60 percent of the penguin population lives on the subantarctic islands, with the remaining living along the south-eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand.


Even more concerning is that the penguins have had a particularly bad run since 2013 when 60 birds died in a single year. If the last few years of poor breeding are included in the models, it would suggest the yellow-eyed penguin could be locally-extinct on the mainland in the next 25 years, according to lead study author Dr. Thomas Mattern of the University of Otago.


Mattern said these mainland birds Authentic Greg Olsen Jersey , iconic within New Zealand, greet visitors to the country on billboards in all major airports, are featured on the five-NZ dollar note, and are widely used for branding and advertizing.


"Yet despite being celebrated in this way, the species has been slowly slipping towards local extinction," he said.


"It is sobering to see the previously busy penguin-breeding areas now overgrown and silent Authentic Kawann Short Jersey , with only the odd lonely pair hanging on," said Dr. Ursula Ellenberg, who has researched yellow-eyed penguins for the past 14 years.


Increasing sea surface temperatures in part explain the negative trend in penguin numbers.


"The problem is that we lack data to examine the extent of human impacts, ranging from fisheries interactions, introduced predators to human disturbance, all of which contribute to the penguins' demise Authentic Trai Turner Jersey ," said Mattern.


However, he said clearly, other factors play a significant role, as climate change explains