Seeing Red

Nearly 200 species added to World Conservation Union's Red List

Posted at 6:16 PM on 12 Sep 2007

The World Conservation Union has added 188 animals and plants to its Red List, a tally of the flora and fauna most threatened with extinction. The additions bring the depressing total up to 16,306 species -- and that's a low estimate. Ten Galapagos Island coral species joined their endangered brethren on the list for the first time; the African lowland gorilla (it of our favorite species name, Gorilla gorilla gorilla) moved from endangered to critically endangered. While 70 percent of assessed plants are on the Red List, only one species was declared officially extinct: the woolly-stalked begonia, which was last seen in 1898. The conservation group estimates that extinction rates would be 100 to 1,000 times slower if humans weren't around to screw things up. But let's focus on the positive: the Mauritius echo parakeet moved from critically endangered to endangered, and was the only species to see its status improve.

sources: MSNBC, Agence France-Presse, The Times, Associated Press
straight to the list: 2007 Red List of Threatened Species

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Comments: (3 comments)

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things you can do

I don't know where it goes when I press "submit" but I signed a petition regarding this at the Conservation International website. If it makes you feel better you can add your name to one of their petitions stopping the "clock" on extinction. As I get older I get more idealistic. I've seen too many GOOD things happen. Hey we stopped acid rain and no one thought we could. And the EPA just got trounced again. Whohoo.

All the Best, Furia - http://www.xanga.com/furia_fubar

by FuriaFubar at 7:33 PM on 13 Sep 2007

stopping the clock

Yes, Furia, I signed that petition too. And they thanked me warmly for doing so. They say they are going to present the petition with signatures at an international meeting to take place this Winter. As you suggest, we are free to doubt that it will make much difference.

In the chapter entitled "The Pauperization of Earth," in his recent, excellent book "The Creation," E.O. Wilson says that "ongoing extinctions are very roughly 100X higher than before the arrival of modern Homo sapiens about 150,000 years ago." To register the basic causes of extinction during our current anthropogenic crisis of biodiversity, he gives us the mnemonic acronym HIPPO:

<<
H habitat loss, including that caused by human-induced climate change
I invasive species (harmful aliens, including predators, disease organisms, and dominant competitors that displace natives)
P pollution
P human overpopulation, a root cause of the other four factors
O overharvesting (hunting, fishing, gathering)
>>

Not to be pessimistic, but there seems to be a considerable number of terrificly big good things that have to happen, before we can be confident that the crisis has been brought under control.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 9:18 PM on 13 Sep 2007

Endangered species

I hate to say it, but I think Earth is suffering from a major infestation of humanity.
In developed countries, USA for one, many upscale women are finding themselves infertile. Instead of accepting this as Nature's way of saying maybe you shouldn't be giving birth they resort to technology, and wind up with litters. Humans are not supposed to have litters. Now we are pushing every other earthling to the point of extinction.

by Farfalla at 3:21 PM on 16 Sep 2007

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