WASHINGTON: As many as 794 species of animals and trees could soon become extinct if their habitats are not protected, according to a conservation group Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE). Creatures facing the extinction threat include penguins in the Galápagos Islands, one type of pine tree in Australia and whooping cranes from Texas.
The AZE drew up a list of 595 sites across the world to which these endangered creatures belonged. The authors of the report urged for better protection of these sites as currently only one third of the sites have some kind of environment protecting legislation. A majority of the sites are close to areas with dense human population or widespread developmental activity like drained wetlands, roads and highways, large scale logging etc., which contributes to the extinction threat for the creatures on the list.
The sites and the listed species native to them are certain to become extinct if they are not protected, according to Stuart Butchart, who represents Birdlife International. Butchart is global species programe co-ordinator for the avian research group, one of the 52 member organizations that form the AZE.
The warning was echoed by Taylor Ricketts, science director for the World Wildlife Fund in Washington, D.C. who said the findings called for a concerted effort “to slow down and stem the extinction episode we are in now”.
Most of the creatures on the list are from the tropics. The geographical and climatic features of the sites are in every case essential for the survival of the species. Such sites are either the habitats for the species or places where certain migratory species spend a season.
The list features more than a hundred sites where more than one species face the imminent danger of extinction. The AZE has also observed a change in historic extinction trends. Records of extinct creatures in recent human history had mainly been birds. The more worrying aspect was that the rate of extinction caused by humans was 100-1,000 times greater than by natural causes. The AZE list suggests the extinction threat now extends to mammals, reptiles, amphibians and plants.
Leading the sites list are Mexico, Columbia, Brazil and Peru. The U S is at number 8. Latin America has more AZE sites because of its rich bio-diversity and rapid rate of habitat destruction. Among endangered creatures were 408 species amphibians (51 percent of the list), such as frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians; 217 species of birds and 131 species of mammals.
Mike Parr, Secretary of AZE, said that any effort to protect these sites and species would be much more than just that. The Earth's ecosystems and the rich genetic diversity are at stake and could be protected only with global efforts. Such steps would not only conserve habitats for the flora and fauna but also protect mountain forests that are known to catch rain water and supply it to cities and farms in the plains. “We have a moral obligation to the act and we are almost out of time”, he warned.
The list was published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The AZE comprises 52 conservation organizations whose goal is to prevent extinction by eliminating environmental threats to wildlife populations.
