End of 200 million years
The Chinese paddlefish was the world's largest freshwater fish, a species that has survived since the age of dinosaurs. However, no surviving individuals have been found since 2003, and it was declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2022.
The main reason for the extinction of the Chinese paddlefish is the impact of dam construction. The construction of huge dams in the Yangtze and Yellow River basins in China, which used to be their habitat, have created no upstream passage for the fish, and they can no longer go upstream to their spawning grounds. It is believed that the population of the Chinese paddlefish has continued to decline because they can no longer spawn safely.
Selfish development that only considers humans has destroyed a species that has existed for more than 200 million years. This is an irreparable loss to the Earth's life lineage.