Business

World faces largest species extinction since dinosaur era, WWF warns — Analysis

The conservation organisation reports that around one million species may disappear over the next several decades.

In a recent report, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), stated that the Earth is currently facing its largest extinction crisis since the time of the dinosaurs. It has estimated that a million species could become extinct within the next decade.

Titled ‘Winners and Losers of 2021’, the article, published on Wednesday, lists the endangered animals whose populations have shrunk or grown the most this year.

African forest elephants, polar bears, tree frogs, cranes and species of fish such as sturgeon and huchen – these are just some of the losers in 2021. These animals represent thousands of endangered species,” the WWF said.

Island mouse-hunt turns $9mn failure

Among the ‘winners’, the organization lists the Iberian lynx – one of the rarest cats in the world – along with Nepalese rhinos and great bustard birds. The WWF stresses that these animals are a result of the conservation efforts made by conservationists.

Within the next decade, approximately a million species may become extinct, marking the greatest species extinction rate since the days of the dinosaurs.” the organization claimed.

According to a WWF board member Eberhard Brandes, species protection now involves the question of “How likely is it that humanity will one day end up on the redlist in a category of hazards and be the loser of its life?.”

The International Red List currently includes more than 40,000 species of animals and plants, which are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as “threatened with extinction”. The Red List contains almost 142,600 threatened species.

This story can be shared on social media

[ad_2]

Tags

Related Articles

Back to top button