wave good bye to more species..we hardly knew thee

[Guest guest]

Annual " Red List " of threatened species says lots of species are threatened

 

The World Conservation Union released its annual Red List of

threatened species today, and it ain't pretty. Some 15,589 species

-- 7,266 animals and 8,323 plants and lichens -- are in danger, up

more than 3,000 from just last year. Nearly an eighth of all birds,

a quarter of mammals, a third of amphibians, and half of turtles and

tortoises are on the chopping block. No doubt there are all sorts of

factors at work, though, right? Uh, not so much: " [A] single

species, ours, appears to be almost wholly responsible, " said the

report. It traces the decline in biodiversity, which is currently

between 100 and 1,000 times faster than the fossil record indicates

is normal, to over-exploitation of resources, habitat loss,

pollution, introduction of invasive species, and (you knew it was

coming) global warming. Attempting to put a happy face on the grim

report, researcher Simon Stuart emphasized that coordinated action

has been shown effective in saving specific species. " Good things

are achievable, " he said.

 

straight to the source: BBC News, 17 Nov 2004

<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=3641>

 

straight to the source: Terra Daily, Agence France-Presse, 17 Nov 2004

<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=3640>

 

straight to the source: MSNBC.com, 17 Nov 2004

<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=3642>