Experts: Half of mammals in decline

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Experts: Half of mammals in decline

Experts compile data for new 'Red List of Threatened Species'

MSNBC staff and news service reports

updated 8:14 a.m. PT, Mon., Oct. 6, 2008

BARCELONA, Spain - One in two mammal species on

Earth are in decline and at least one in four are

at risk of disappearing forever, according to a

scientific survey released Monday and whose

sponsors described the trend as an " extinction

crisis " in the making.

" Mammals are declining faster than we thought, "

said Jan Schipper, lead author of a companion

study being published this week in the journal

Science.

The International Union for Conservation of

Nature released the data compiled by 1,700

experts in 130 countries, adding that the numbers

could be even worse given that data was lacking

for hundreds of mammal species.

" The reality is that the number of threatened

mammals could be as high as 36 percent, " Schipper

said in a statement released by the IUCN at a

gathering in Barcelona.

" Our results paint a bleak picture of the global

status of mammals worldwide, " Schipper and his

co-authors said in the study. " We estimate that

one in four species is threatened with extinction

and that the population of one in two is

declining. "

" The situation is particularly serious for land

mammals in Asia, through the combined effects of

overharvesting and habitat loss, " the experts

wrote in their study, " and for marine species,

victims of our increasingly intensive use of the

oceans. "

Mammals range in size from blue whales to

Thailand's insect-sized bumblebee bat.

" I think the bottom line is, what kind of a world

do you want to leave for your children, " said

Andrew Smith, a professor in the Arizona State

University School of Life Sciences. " How

impoverished we would be if we lost 25 percent of

the world's mammals, " said Smith, one of more

than 100 co-authors of the companion study.

In South and Southeast Asia, 79 percent of

primate species are threatened with extinction,

the IUCN noted.

Habitat loss and degradation affect 40 percent of

the world's mammals, the IUCN added. " It is most

extreme in Central and South America, West, East

and Central Africa, Madagascar, and in South and

Southeast Asia. "

'A frightening sign'

More than half of the 1,141 threatened mammal

species fall under " critically endangered " (188)

or " endangered " (450) categories used for the

2008 " IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. "

" Within our lifetime hundreds of species could be

lost as a result of our own actions, a

frightening sign of what is happening to the

ecosystems where they live, " IUCN Director Julia

Marton-Lefevre said in the statement.

The Iberian lynx, with an adult population

estimated at no more than 143, is among the

critically endangered mammals. Its numbers have

continued to decline due to earlier efforts by

humans to eliminate its primary prey, the

European rabbit.

Endangered mammals include the Tasmanian devil.

The largest carnivorous marsupial in the world,

it is the size of a small dog and found only on

the Australian island state of Tasmania. It was

moved from the " least concern " category after its

numbers declined by more than 60 percent in 10

years due to a cancer that causes tumors around

the mouth, eventually leading to death by

starvation.

The fishing cat, found in Southeast Asia, moved

from " vulnerable " to " endangered " due to habitat

loss in wetlands.

" Over 45 percent of protected wetlands in

Southeast Asia are considered threatened,

including those that are home to this species, "

IUCN stated. " Clearance of coastal mangroves over

the past decade has been rapid. The depletion of

fish stocks from overfishing is likely to be a

significant threat to this species which relies

heavily on fish for its survival. "

The Caspian seal also saw a downward trend - its

numbers have declined by 90 percent in the last

century due to unsustainable hunting and habitat

degradation. " Since 2005 the number of pups born

has plummeted by a catastrophic 60 percent to

just 6,000-7,000, " IUCN stated. " A low survival

rate among pups has led researchers to fear there

are barely enough breeding females to keep the

population viable. "

In addition, 29 species have been flagged as

" critically endangered/possibly extinct. "

Hopeful sign with African elephants

The IUCN noted that at least 76 mammals had gone

extinct since 1500. " But the results also show

conservation can bring species back from the

brink of extinction, with five percent of

currently threatened mammals showing signs of

recovery in the wild, " it added.

The study's authors urged governments and

conservation groups to redouble protective

efforts by using the Red List.

" More than simply reporting on the depressing

status of the world's mammals, these Red List

data can and should be used to inform strategies

for addressing this crisis, for example to

identify priority species and areas for

conservation, " the researchers concluded.

" Despite a general deterioration in the status of

mammals, our data also show that species

recoveries are possible through targeted

conservation efforts. "

 

The 2008 Red List - which includes 44,838 species

of wild fauna and flora, not just mammals - saw

minor updates in recent years, but the version

released Monday is the biggest revision since a

1996 Red List and includes marine mammals and

many other species for the first time.

Under the new Red List, 16,928 species are

considered threatened with extinction. Of these,

3,246 are in the highest category of threat,

critically endangered; 4,770 are endangered; and

8,912 are vulnerable to extinction.

Even though most of the world has been explored,

new mammal species continue to be discovered.

This year's species total of 5,487 is up 19

percent since 1992.

While the new report estimated that one-in-four

mammals is threatened with extinction, the actual

numbers listed were 1,141 out of 5,487 species.

That comes out to 20.8 percent, closer to one in

five.

However, the researchers noted that there were

several hundred species about which they don't

have enough data to classify. They believe that

the lack of information about those animals

indicates that they exist in such small numbers

that many could be endangered, raising the total

to 25 percent or higher, Smith explained.

The IUCN describes itself as the world's oldest

and largest global environmental network. It is

made up of more than 1,000 government and

nongovernment organizations and almost 11,000

volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries.

Hopeful sign with African elephants

One hopeful story is that of the African

elephant. Poaching for ivory and meat has long

been a major threat, and populations across the

continent declined by 25 percent from 1979 to

2007.

But the species actually improved on the Red

List, going from " vulnerable " to " near

threatened, " because of recent conservation

efforts - and population increases - in southern

and eastern Africa.

Those efforts, the IUCN said, " have been of

sufficient magnitude to outweigh any decreases

that may be taking place elsewhere across their

vast range. "

In addition to raising concern about mammals, the

IUCN highlighted the threats to other wildlife,

including:

Indian tarantulas, sought by collectors and

threatened by the international pet trade.

The Rameshwaram parachute spider, listed as

critically endangered due to habitat loss.

The squaretail coral grouper from the coral reefs

of the Indo-Pacific, listed as vulnerable because

it has become a luxury food.

In Costa Rica, Holdridge's toad moved from

critically endangered to extinct, as it has not

been seen since 1986 despite intensive surveys.

La Palma giant lizard, found on the Canary Island

of La Palma and thought to have become extinct in

the last 500 years, was rediscovered last year

and is now listed as critically endangered.

 

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26979274/

 

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