15,589 species threatened
Report card of species around the world finds those at risk increased by
3300 since 2000
By Trevor Stokes

More than 15,000 species around the world are at risk of extinction,
according to a report released today (November 17) by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The
organization, whose annual list of endangered species is commonly known as
the "Red List," found that one in eight birds, almost half of turtles and
tortoises, one in four mammals studied, and one in three amphibians is
threatened.

"We are in the midst of the sixth great extinction wave on the planet Earth,
caused by the intervention of humans," David Brackett, Species Survival
Commission Chair of the study, told The Scientist. "Species should come and
go on an evolutionary time scale, not on our time scale." Brackett said that
"objective information is showing that declines are not limited to
vulnerable species, but are happening across the entire taxonomic spectrum."

The report, released at the Third IUCN World Conservation Congress in
Bangkok, is the work of 8000 volunteer conservationists in 179 countries and
is considered the most comprehensive study of threatened species by
international conservationists. It found that 15,589 species-3300 since the
last such report in 2000, most likely because amphibians are now
included-are at risk of extinction.

One major notable shift is that continental extinctions have become as
common as extinctions on islands, typically thought of as more ecologically
fragile. The report concluded that the current extinction rate is 100 to a
1000 times the "natural" evolutionary rate.

In a press release, Craig Hilton-Taylor, co-editor of the report, wrote:
"Although 15,589 species are known to be threatened with extinction, this
greatly underestimates the true number, as only a fraction of known species
have been assessed. There is still much to be discovered about key
species-rich habitats, such as tropical forests, marine and freshwater
systems, or particular groups, such as invertebrates, plants and fungi,
which make up the majority of biodiversity."

In both plants and animals, according to the report, species were more
likely to be at risk if they had slow growth rates, small populations, and
low reproductive rates-species such as sharks, the great apes, and cycads.
But regardless of the characteristics of the species, humans are either
directly or indirectly the main reason for most species' declines, according
to a press release by the International Union. Threatened species are
exposed to significant pressures that include over-exploitation, invasive
species, pollution, and disease.

Full Text at TheScientist.com
http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20041117/03

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