William Atkins
Monday, 06 October 2008 21:14
Science -
Biology
Page 1 of 2
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) produces an annual Red List of species threatened with extinction. Experts estimate that between 21 and 36% of mammal species are threatened with extinction around the world.
The
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species was announced at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, October 6, 2008. The IUCN Red List is found at:
http://www.iucnredlist.org/.
The
IUCN World Conservation Congress was held from October 5-14, 2008.
This latest survey included 45,000 species. Although, it does not include all species in the world, the list is increasing each year.
It also included 5,487 mammal species, including marine mammals, which were not previously included in the earlier survey in 1999.
According to Russ Mittermeier, president of Conservation International,
“The IUCN Red List is the most powerful tool in species conservation today. Without it, we wouldn’t even know where to begin. It provides the baseline from which all our conservation work can be measured, and is also extremely effective for calling attention to the status of those species most at risk and generating public excitement about them.” [IUCN: “
Coming soon: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species”]
According to the Red List, the plight of primates in Southeast Asia is even worst. The IUCN experts state that 79% of Southeast Asian primates are threatened with extinction.
The scientists involved with the survey also state that 50% of all mammal species have shown declines in their numbers.
The IUCN experts specifically mention the Tasmanian devil (scientific name:
Sarcophilus harrisii), which has declined in numbers by 60% over the past ten years, and the Iberian lynx (
Lynx pardinus), which is estimated to have only 84 to 143 adults remaining in the wild.
Page two talks about the critically endangered species and the threats to species.
