Endangered Species

Extinction has been the fate of most plant and animal species. It is a natural process that will continue. In recent years, however, the threat to the welfare of wild plants and animals has increased dramatically—mostly as a result of habitat destruction. Tropical rain forests, the most threatened areas on the earth, have been reduced to 44% of their original extent. In certain areas, such a Ecuador, forest coverage has been reduced by 95%. This decrease in habitat has resulted in tens of thousands of extinctions. Accurately estimating the number of extinctions is impossible in areas like rain forests, where taxonomists have not even described most species. We are losing species that we do not know exist, and we are losing resources that could lead to new medicines, foods, and textiles. Other causes of extinction include climate change, pollution, and invasions from foreign species. Habitats other than rain forests—grasslands, marshes, deserts, and coral reefs—are also being seriously threatened.

No one knows how many species living today are close to extinction. The table below lists the 10 species that the World Wildlife Fund has designate closest to extinction. As of 1998, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists 432 animal and 529 plant species on its endangered or threatened species lists. An endangered species is in imminent danger of extinction throughout its range. A threatened species is likely to become endangered in the near future.

The World Wildlife Fund’s 10 Most Endangered Species

Tiger	Panthera tigris	Southeast Asia. Fewer than six thousand remain. Endangered due to habitat loss and poaching.
Black rhino	Diceros bicornis	Africa. Fewer than two thousand remain. Endangered due to poaching for horn.
Giant panda	Ailuropoda melanoleuca	China. Fewer than one thousand remain. Endangered due to habitat loss and poaching.
Asiatic black bear	Ursus thibetanus	Asia. Endangered due to habitat loss and poaching.
Himalayan yew (conifer)	Taxus wallichiana	Asia and Middle East. Endangered due to deforestation and collecting for medicinal purposes.
Atlantic bluefin tuna	Thunnus thynnus	Western Atlantic Ocean. Population has declined 80% in the last 20 years. Endangered due to over-fishing.
Hawksbill sea turtle	Eretomochelys imbricata	Tropical reef habitats. Endangered due to poaching for “tortoise shell” and very low reproductive rates.
Saiga antelope	Saiga tatarica	Mongolia and Russia. Endangered due to poaching for antelope horn used in ancient medicines.
Egyptian tortoise	Testudo kelinmanni	Middle East. Endangered due to over-collection for pet markets and medicines.
Red and blue lory (parrot)	Eos histrio	Indonesian islands. Fewer than three thousand remain. Endangered due to over-collection for pet markets.