http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0521-03.htm
Published on Tuesday,
May 21, 2002 in the lndependent/UK
Quarter of World's Mammals Faced With
Extinction
by Steve Connor
CAPTION:
"An olive ridley sea turtle is hooked by a longliner in an
undated photo. Industrial longline fishing in the open ocean
is killing wild animals in record numbers, according to the
Turtle Island Restoration Network. Longlining is a fishing
method intended to catch migratory top predator fish,
primarily tuna and swordfish. But, as a non-selective
technique, it threatens to cause the extinction of the
leatherback sea turtle, sea birds, several shark species,
as well as various fish species." Photo by Thomas Gorgas/Sea
Turtle Restora/Reuters.
Almost a quarter of the world's mammals face extinction within
30 years, a United Nations study on the state of the global
environment will announce tomorrow.
Scientists who contributed to the report have identified
11,046 species of plants and animals that are endangered.
These include 1,130 mammals - 24 per cent of the total -
and 12 per cent, or 1,183 species of birds.
The list of the critically
endangered ranges from the
well-publicized, such as the black rhino and Siberian
tiger, to the less well known, such as the Amur leopard
of Asia, the short-tailed chinchilla of South America and
the Philippine eagle.
Human activities, notably
the destruction of habitats and
the introduction of alien species from one part of the world
into another, are identified as the main cause of this loss
in "biodiversity".
The researchers who
helped to prepare the Global Environment
Outlook-3 (Geo-3) report of the United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP) (http://www.unep.org/)
also identify 5,611
species of plants that are facing extinction. They point out that
the
true figure is likely to be far higher given that only 4 per cent
of the known plant species have been properly evaluated.
The report, which reviews
the past 30 years of environmental
degradation as well as looking forward to the next 30 years,
is understood to say that all the factors that have led to
the extinction of species in recent decades continue to operate
with "ever- increasing" intensity.
Although Geo-3 covers
a wide area of concerns, from the
exploitation of land to water pollution, it identifies
the need to conserve the Earth's biodiversity as a vital
element in the drive towards tackling growing poverty
- the theme of this summer's World Summit on Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg.
Threats to life on
Earth include exploitation of natural
resources, pollution, habitat destruction, the introduction
of alien species and global climate change, the scientists
who advised UNEP said. They believe that the loss of habitats
by human encroachment is largely responsible for the predicament
facing 89 per cent of threatened birds, 83 per cent of
threatened mammals and 91 per cent of endangered plants.
UNEP has identified
alien invasive species as the second
major threat, affecting about 30 per cent of threatened
birds and 15 per cent of threatened plants.
Geo-3 aims to address
the factors contributing to the
environmental degradation of the Earth, whether they affect
land, air or water. It is expected to say that many problems
can be rectified if governments implement the treaties and
conventions passed since the Rio Earth Summit of 1992
- including the Kyoto protocol on climate change and
the Convention on Biodiversity.
Mark Collins, the director
of UNEP's World Conservation
Monitoring Center in Cambridge, said: "I think if we are
able to knuckle down to carry out the measures that have
been proposed since Rio there is cause for optimism."
Nevertheless, the Geo-3
report identifies a number of problems
- not least global warming - that appear to be growing.
In addition, human poverty is increasing, which is aggravating
huge losses in biodiversity and "has to be addressed",
Dr Collins said.
Klaus Töpfer,
the executive director of UNEP, will launch
the report in London with Margaret Beckett, the Secretary
of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
© 2002 Independent
Digital (UK) Ltd
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