While not directly related to our area, this is one of the critical lists that shows how our efforts to save species from extinction is progressing. Bottom line, not well. We are succeeding in some areas, and this does show that it’s possible. There is little time left for inaction, nor waiting on someone else to do the work. See you in the field.
The blue-tongued forest giraffe, the national symbol of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is on the brink of extinction, according to the latest update to the red list of threatened species. The stripy-legged creature, which appears on Congolese banknotes and is actually a species of okapi, has become another victim of the DRC’s long-running war. But surveys reveal that conservation efforts have had a positive effect on ocean-roaming leatherback turtles and albatrosses, while a Californian fox has returned from the edge.
“This red list update shows some fantastic conservation successes, from which we must learn,” said Jane Smart, a director at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which compiles the list.
“However, the overall message remains bleak. With each update, whilst we see some species improving in status, there is a significantly larger number of species appearing in the threatened categories. The world must urgently scale up efforts to avert this devastating trend,” she added.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/26/iucn-red-list-endangered-species-extinction?CMP=ema_565
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: extinction, Puget Sound, red list, species | Comments Off on “Red List” of Endangered Species Grows – The Guardian
