Can We Keep Them Alive?

WWF recently highlighted 1o popular species that are most threatened in the world, to be watched in 2010. The year 2010 has been declared The Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations. Many years back, governments had pledged to effectively reduce the rate biodiversity loss by 2010, but it seems the rate of loss of nature and its biodiversity is apparently at an alarming rate and furthermore accelerating. So dear humans, what are we going to do about it? Are we looking at emitting more carbon, claiming more natural land, harvesting more from the forests and expanding our cities this year?

Here are some numbers and facts I summarised from WWF:

Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) – too close to extinction.
Tiger (Panthera tigris) – only 3200 left.
Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) – As temperatues rise, they lose their habitat. Hundreds die each year.
Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) – Rapidly decreasing for the same reason for theWalrus.
Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) – no numbers for this, but this is your tuna sushi served at every japanese restaurant.
Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) – there are just too many insect species to list which are going into extinction.
Leatherback Turtle – only 2300 females left.
Mountain Gorilla – only 720 left.
Javan Rhinoceros – only 60 left.
Giant Panda – only 1600 left.

Planet Earth is in a phase called the The Sixth Great Extinction, where all the previous five extinctions were thought to have been caused by asteroids and the last was 65 million years ago. Unfortunately, this time’s great extinction, which is not so great to hear at all, is caused by humans.

You have in your hands the power to protect or destroy all life on Earth. I urge you to do something.

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Can We Keep Them Alive?

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