Scientists in England working with an international conservation group have compiled a sample list which will be used much like the Dow Jones Industrial Average to track the overall status of endangered and threatened species in the world.
Andrew and I should never have sunk our life savings into Steller's sea cows!
You may have seen the news today that according to "Red List" released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 1 in 4 species of mammel is on the edge of extinction, due to habitat loss, overhunting, pollution and the effects of global warming. Every known species of...
...amphibian, mammel and bird was assessed for the 2008 Red List (reptiles coming soon!).
The La Palma Giant Lizard has made an encouraging comeback after being presumed extinct for the last 500 years!
The Rameshwaram parachute spider, however, has lost nearly all of its habitat and may be extinct in the wild in the next few years.
Working with the Zooillogical Society of London, the IUCN has also put forth a sample list which will be tracked closely to monitor global trends in endangered animals. By testing a smaller but statistically significant sample, the group can deduce whether the world's efforts to protect and nurture endangered animals are making an overall difference in their welfare. Unfortunately, as Jonathan Baillie of the ZSL told National Geographic, "We don't see any [U.S.] $700-billion bailout plan on the horizon" for the endangered species crisis!
Environment
Comments
This is one more example of the greed of condors.
We should not reward them with taxpayer money.
Posted by: Jives | October 6, 2008 4:06 PM
Giant spiders can not go extinct quickly enough. >_
Posted by: Zelly | October 7, 2008 1:28 AM
How dare you sir.
My father was a giant spider.
Posted by: Jives | October 7, 2008 3:14 PM
Wait. Does this mean I have to understand how the Dow Jones works in order to fully appreciate how much we've fucked the planet?
Posted by: juliagoolia | October 8, 2008 11:57 AM