17 Animal Species On The Verge Of Extinction
According to scientists, our planet is now in the midst of its sixth mass extinction of plants and animals — the sixth wave of extinctions in the past half-billion years. We’re currently experiencing the worst spate of species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, it occurs at a natural “background” rate of about one to five species per year. Scientists estimate we’re now losing species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate, with literally dozens going extinct every day. 30 to 50 percent of all species are possibly heading toward extinction by mid-century.And unfortunately, our knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystems is scarce.Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for the Environment, gave a speech last year on Biodiversity, Food and Sustainable Development at Milan Expo Biodiversity Park and said “To quote the World Resources Institute, we know more on how many stars there are in our galaxy than how many species there are on Earth!”So, now is the time for us to pay attention to what we’re about to lose if we keep dominating nature relentlessly.
