document.write(getElapsed("20060502T004813Z")); 2 hours ago
GENEVA - Polar bears and hippos are among more than 16,000 species
of animals and plants threatened with global extinction, the World
Conservation Union said Tuesday.
According to the Swiss-based
conservation group, known by its acronym IUCN, the number of species
classified as being in serious danger of extinction rose from about
15,500 in its previous "Red List" report, published in 2004.
The
list includes one in three amphibians, a quarter of the world's mammals
and coniferous trees, and one in eight birds, according to a preview of
the 2006 Red List. The full report is published later this week.
"Biodiversity
loss is increasing, not slowing down," said Achim Steiner, the
conservation group's director general. "The implications of this trend
for the productivity and resilience of ecosystems and the lives and
livelihoods of billions of people who depend on them are far-reaching."
The
Red List classifies about 40,000 species according to their risk of
extinction and provides a searchable online database of the results.
The total number of species on the planet is unknown, with 15 million
being the most widely accepted estimate. Up to 1.8 million are known
today.
People are the main reason for most species' decline, mainly through habitat destruction, according to IUCN.
Polar
bears are threatened by global warming and melting ice caps, because
they are conditioned for the icy environment and depend on Arctic ice
floes for hunting seas. They are predicted to suffer a 30 percent
population decline in the next 45 years.
The hippopotamus
population in war-ravaged Congo, meanwhile, has plummeted by 95
percent, mainly because of unregulated hunting for meat and ivory in
their teeth.
"Regional conflicts and political instability in
some African countries have created hardship for many of the region's
inhabitants, and the impact on wildlife has been equally devastating,"
said Jeffrey McNeely, chief scientist at IUCN.
Freshwater fish
have suffered some of the most dramatic population declines because of
human activities that damage their habitat, like forest clearance,
pollution and water extraction. In the Mediterranean, more than half of
the 252 endemic species are threatened with extinction. Seven species,
including two relatives of carp, are already extinct, IUCN said.
The
conservation union warned that the decline in wetlands and freshwater
ecosystems will also damage supplies for humans of food, clean drinking
water and sanitation.
Other species threatened with extinction include desert gazelles, ocean sharks and Mediterranean flowers, IUCN said.
Some
784 are listed as extinct _ only a small increase from 2004 _ while 65
are found only in captivity. But the situation looks a little brighter
for some others, such as the white-tailed eagle and Indian vultures.
"Reversing
this trend is possible, as numerous conservation success stories have
proven," Steiner said. "Biodiversity cannot be saved by
environmentalists alone _ it must become the responsibility of everyone
with the power and resources to act."
San Francisco Last day of Spring Break =( So my family and I spent some much needed time together in the city: ate dim sum and went to vista point and we encountered some pretty scary drivers today. But what else do you expect in a city like SF. I didn't take too many photos during dim sum, but a lot at Vista Point:
name of the restaurant we went to
The bay in fog
Angel Island in the background
Alcatraz
Good picture, but background isn't focused, kind of blurred
Cormorant? Not sure. It's blurry because i was in digital zoom.
The
Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative is a joint Canadian-U.S. network
of over 800 organizations, institutions, foundations, and conservation-minded
individuals who have recognized the value of working together to restore and maintain
the unique natural heritage of the Yellowstone to Yukon region and the quality
of life it offers.
The
Initiative dates to late 1993, when a group of top scientists and conservationists
met near Calgary, Alberta, to talk about the possibility of applying the principles
of conservation biology to the Rockies of Canada and the northern U.S.The discussion continued off-and-on for the next three years, with an ever-expanding
group of participants.In 1996, the
group declared itself an operative network and hired a coordinator.A small office was opened in Canmore, Alberta, in January 1997.
Today,
scientists, conservationists and others are working together to promote the Yellowstone
to Yukon mission and to enable, energize, and inspire
the efforts of individuals, grassroots organizations and communities who support
that mission.By creating new tools
to support conservation work, and by fostering the exchange of ideas and the coordination
of action among its network participants, Y2Y opens new possibilities for ensuring
the continued presence of North American wildlife and wildlands.
To
become a reality, the Yellowstone to Yukon vision needs to be good for both
human and natural communities.Our
approach to conservation is broadly inclusive, and
we work with communities and individuals through stewardship programs that
encourage us all to become good stewards of the land.By expanding and linking protected areas, we contribute to the health of
natural systems, which provide the foundations for long-term economic sustainability,
community vitality, and the quality of life we associate with mountain living.
The
Initiative dates to late 1993, when a group of top scientists and conservationists
met near Calgary, Alberta, to talk about the possibility of applying the principles
of conservation biology to the Rockies of Canada and the northern U.S.