Whose Number Whose Number Will Be Up Will Be Up

Next?!Next?!The tragic plight of the Earth’s The tragic plight of the Earth’s

disappearing speciesdisappearing species

Garry ChapmanOctober, 2001

What do these numbers What do these numbers mean to you?mean to you?

55 11 10,00010,000 66

337337 27,00027,000 5,4355,435 6565

11,00011,000 2525 12.512.5 1919

zerozero

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Click here last

FIVEFIVE• There have been There have been

fivefive great mass great mass extinctions on extinctions on Earth between Earth between 440 and 65 440 and 65 million years agomillion years ago

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Snow Leopardendangered

ONEONE• Before humans Before humans

arrived on Earth, arrived on Earth, only only oneone species species per million, on per million, on average, became average, became extinct each yearextinct each year

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Passenger Pigeonextinct

10,00010,000• Today, up to Today, up to

10,00010,000 species species per million face per million face extinction each extinction each year, largely due year, largely due to human to human influencesinfluences

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Thylacineextinct

SIXSIX• Scientists believe Scientists believe

we may be we may be experiencing experiencing mass extinction mass extinction number number sixsix right right nownow

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Red Shanked Douc Langurendangered

337337• Since 1500 AD, Since 1500 AD,

337337 vertebrate vertebrate species have species have become extinctbecome extinct

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Freshwater Sawfishendangered

27,00027,000• An estimated An estimated

27,00027,000 species, species, predominantly predominantly insects and insects and plants, disappear plants, disappear each year in rain each year in rain forests aloneforests alone

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Luschan’s Salamandervulnerable

5,4355,435• The current The current

number of known number of known threatened bird threatened bird and mammal and mammal species is species is 5,4355,435. . In 1996, there In 1996, there were 5,205 were 5,205

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Asian Three-Striped Box Turtlecritically endangered

6565• There are There are

roughly roughly 6565 bird bird and mammal and mammal species at risk in species at risk in each of Brazil, each of Brazil, China and China and IndonesiaIndonesia

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South American Marsh Deervulnerable

11,00011,000• More than More than

11,00011,000 plant and plant and animal species animal species face extinction in face extinction in the near futurethe near future

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Wandering Albatrossglobally threatened

2525• 2525% of all % of all

mammal species mammal species are at riskare at risk

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Ethiopian Wolfcritically endangered

12.512.5• 12.512.5% of all bird % of all bird

species are at species are at riskrisk

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Spix’s Macawnearing extinction

1919• Since 1996, the Since 1996, the

number of number of critically critically endangered endangered primate species primate species has grown from has grown from 13 to 13 to 1919

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Orangutanendangered

ZEROZERO• We can no longer afford to treat We can no longer afford to treat

the world’s wonderful creatures the world’s wonderful creatures like a set of meaningless numberslike a set of meaningless numbers

• Let’s do what we can to make Let’s do what we can to make zerozero the number of species that die out the number of species that die out in the next decadein the next decade

SourcesSources• National Geographic, October 2001, National Geographic, October 2001,

‘Paving the Road to Extinction’‘Paving the Road to Extinction’

• International Union for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Conservation of Nature http://http://redlistredlist.org.org

• Committee on Recently Extinct Committee on Recently Extinct Organisms Organisms http://http://creocreo..amnhamnh.org.org