Endangered Species
The IUCN red list of endangered species for 2008 has just been published.
It is obviously a very lengthy report covering the list of endangered species, from extinct and extinct in the wild to those that fall under the classification of not enough data.
A selective look of some of the results:
- 20% of reptiles are struggling to survive
- 20% + of mammals, including marine mammals, are also threatened with extinction
Of the nearly 50,000 species listed (fauna and flora) over 35% are threatened.
But there are a few other things I want to highlight.
The first is that people typically look at the extremes, for example those species that are extinct or critically endangered. Bad news sell newspapers as they say. And the more shocking the more they sell.
For endangered species this is a disservice as those species that may today be classified as least concerned can later on become critically endangered.
The list (and it is a very extensive list covering vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, mushrooms, and so on) does present species whose potential survival has deteriorated but also for those that have improved.
The overall message we should take from this, apart from recognizing the efforts of the IUCN, is that all species deserve our care, and this care is really reflected by respect and looking after the environment.
Anyone interested in living natural must take the environment seriously.
We have to be aware that species in the world are at risk due to many factors, in fact to many human created factors.
Amongst these are:
- habitat loss due to human settlement, agricultural expansion;
- hunting and poaching for skins and meat;
- depletion of food sources;
- habitat degradation coming from overgrazing;
- climate change;
- many others.
And now for some good news.
-Walia Ibex has shown an improvement in classification, moving from Critically Endangered (CR) to Endangered (EN)
- Przewalski’s Gazelle from CR to EN
- Pohnpei Flying Fox from CR to EN
- Black Lion Tamarin from CR to EN
The number of mammal species that showed an improvement is 37.
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