More Than One Third of Species Studied on Brink of Extinction

The Kihansi Spray Toad was listed as critically endangered in last year's Red List. This year it is categorised as extinct in the wild. The species was known only from the Kihansi Falls, Tanzania, where there was formerly a population of 17,000.

The Giant Jewel is known from a few areas in south-east Nigeria and south-west Cameroon. The IUCN says it is likely being threatened by forest destruction through selective logging and agricultural expansion.

The spectacular Queen of the Andes plant occurs in the Andes mountains of Peru and Bolivia. There is very little genetic variability between populations. It is thought to lack enough variability to adapt to both human pressure and climate change.

The Panay Monitor Lizard is endemic to the island of Panay in the Philippines. The lizard feeds largely on fruit, but degradation of its lowland forest habitat is thought to pose a serious threat to the species.

Species' extinction threat grows

The Kihansi spray toad is now considered to be extinct in the wild
More than a third of species assessed in a major international biodiversity study are threatened with extinction, scientists have warned.
Out of the 47,677 species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 17,291 were deemed to be at very serious risk.
These included 21% of mammals, 30% of amphibians, 70% of plants and 35% of invertebrates. Conservationists warned that not enough was being done to tackle the main threats, such as habitat loss.
"The scientific evidence of a serious extinction crisis is mounting," warned Jane Smart, a scientist involved in the study

At what point will society truly respond to this growing crisis?
"The latest analysis... shows that the 2010 target to reduce biodiversity loss will not be met," Dr. Smart added.
"It's time for governments to start getting serious about saving species and make sure it's high on their agendas for next year, as we are rapidly running out of time."
The Red List, regarded as the most authoritative assessment of the state of the planet's species, draws on the work of thousands of scientists around the globe.
The latest update lists amphibians as the most seriously affected group of organisms on the planet, with 1,895 of the 6,285 known species listed as threatened. Of these, it lists 39 species as either "extinct" or "extinct in the wild". A further 484 are deemed "critically endangered", 754 "endangered" and 657 "vulnerable".

It is a time of crisis for the world's amphibians, says expert Helen Meredith. She says we may be facing our last chance to save this important group of animals.
They consume huge quantities of invertebrates, including humanity's most vilified pests and their crucial role in global ecosystems helps maintain healthy functioning environments.
A third of all species of amphibian are threatened with extinction; nearly half are in decline, and they are the most threatened of all the vertebrate groups.
If allowed to continue, the projected losses would constitute the largest mass extinction since the disappearance of the dinosaurs.They have been around on the planet for about 360 million years, arising over 100 million years before the first mammal and 200 million years before the first bird.