Huge chunk of plants, animals in US at risk of extinction – report
Reuters A leading conservation research group found that 40 per cent of animals and 34 per cent of plants in the United States are at risk of extinction, while 41 per cent of ecosystems are facing collapse. Everything from crayfish and cacti to freshwater mussels and iconic American species such as the Venus flytrap are […]
Wow!: How daredevil drones find nearly extinct plants hiding in cliffs
DAISY CHUNG, GLORIA DICKIE and SIMON SCARR, of Reuters, report on an innovative program in Hawaii to reach places too risky for humans in a search for the last surviving individuals before it’s too late…
Updated: Australian animals at dire risk as environment deteriorates
Updated: 5pm (AEST)Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Australia has lost more mammal species than any other continent and has one of the worst rates of species decline among the world’s richest countries, a five-yearly environmental report card released by the government on Tuesday said. Animals such as the blue-tailed skink are only known to exist anymore in captivity, […]
Emperor penguin at serious risk of extinction due to climate change
Reuters The emperor penguin, which roams Antarctica’s frozen tundra and chilly seas, is at severe risk of extinction in the next 30 to 40 years as a result of climate change, an expert from the Argentine Antarctic Institute warned. The emperor, the world’s largest penguin and one of only two penguin species endemic to Antarctica, […]
Some 30 per cent of global tree species at risk of extinction – report
Reuters Almost a third of the world’s tree species are at risk of extinction, while hundreds are on the brink of being wiped out, according to a landmark report published by Botanic Gardens Conservation International on Wednesday. According to the State of the World’s Trees report 17,500 tree species – some 30 per cent of […]
Over 10,000 species risk extinction in Amazon, says landmark report
Sao Paulo, Brazil/Bogota, Colombia Reuters More than 10,000 species of plants and animals are at high risk of extinction due to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest – 35 per cent of which has already been deforested or degraded, according to the draft of a landmark scientific report published on Wednesday. Produced by the Science […]
Koalas may be extinct in Australia’s New South Wales by 2050
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Koalas in the Australian state of New South Wales could become extinct by 2050 unless the government immediately intervenes to protect them and their habitat, a parliamentary inquiry determined after a year-long inquiry. Land clearing for agriculture, urban development, mining and forestry had been the biggest factor in the fragmentation and loss of […]
Fireflies threatened globally, with light pollution a glaring problem
Washington DC, USReuters Fireflies are under threat globally, with familiar hazards such as habitat loss and pesticides compounded by another peril: humankind’s ubiquitous nighttime artificial light that plays havoc with their balletic nocturnal courtship, scientists said. In the most comprehensive worldwide assessment to date of dangers facing these flying beetles, researchers concluded that some of […]
“Drastic” fall in bumblebee populations shocks scientists
Rome, ItalyThomson Reuters Foundation When scientist Peter Soroye first saw the figures showing estimated bumblebee populations in North America had fallen by nearly 50 per cent in a single generation, he thought it must be a typo. He checked the numbers – the result of a long-term analysis of bumblebee populations published in the journal […]
Koalas, wallabies endangered by Australia bushfires “ecological disaster”
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters The Australian Government committed $A50 million to an emergency wildlife recovery program on Monday, calling the bushfires crisis engulfing the country “an ecological disaster” that threatens several species, including koalas and rock wallabies. Huge wildfires have razed more than 11.2 million hectares, nearly half the area of the United Kingdom, destroying or severely […]