12,000 species on the brink of extinction

A disappearing world: great apes, river fish and albatrosses

concentration of sources

The Seychelles, Galapagos and Hawaii islands have often been described as a paradise of natural beauty. According to the latest data on the extinction of wild animals in the world, this beauty is quickly disappearing, following the destruction of their habitats in the processes for which man is responsible. Data published yesterday shows that the situation is similar in other parts of the world: more than 12 species of flora and fauna are currently in danger of extinction.

The data was published by the World Conservation Organization (NCUI) as part of the "Red Book of Endangered Species". This is the most comprehensive publication on the state of flora and fauna in the world, and is used by official bodies when they come to determine nature conservation policies. The document defines several levels of risk to flora and fauna, the most extreme of which - before the final disappearance of the species - is "severe danger of extinction". Today it is known about 762 species that are already extinct and 58 species that can only be found in zoos or farms.

When examining the global trends, it is possible to identify several groups of species whose situation is particularly severe. One of them is the "super monkeys", many of which are in danger of extinction. The situation of the orangutans and gorillas is particularly serious, and three other species of monkeys, from Central and South America, are also in serious danger of extinction.

Another endangered group: fish and large mammals that live in fresh water. A striking example of such a species is the river dolphin from South America, a third of whose population has been extinct in the last three decades. Another example is the giant catfish in Vietnam, which is the largest freshwater fish in the world, and reaches three meters in length. The population of this fish - which can only be found in the Mekong River in Southeast Asia - has shrunk by eighty percent in 13 years, and it is defined as a species in serious danger of extinction.

The list of endangered groups also includes seabirds, including the albatrosses and petrels. According to the Red Book, six albatross species are in greater danger of extinction than previously estimated. Today, all species of albatross on Earth are in danger of extinction, mainly because they are caught in hooks that are scattered by fishermen.

What causes extinction? Industrial fishing is one of the main causes of the extinction of marine animals (also in the Mediterranean Sea). However, the two main causes of extinction on Earth are the direct destruction of habitats - as a result of actions such as cutting down forests, damming rivers, and building on beaches - and the invasion of foreign species, which crowd out local species. Other causes of extinction are pollution, illegal trade and hunting.

Many cases of species extinction as a result of the invasion of foreign species can be found on islands in the oceans. The reason: many unique species that developed in these places - which are ecologically isolated - are not adapted to compete with foreign species, and disappear quickly. For example, the plant "Maui Sapromania" from the Hawaiian Islands is in serious danger of extinction because it was displaced by a plant from Florida that came with man. Also in danger of extinction is the Newcomb snail, which only exists in six rivers on the island of Kauai (one of the islands in Hawaii). The main cause of its extinction: a foreign slug that entered Hawaii in 1955 and has been preying on the native species ever since.

The spread of stray cats and abandoned dogs into open spaces and rural areas has also become a significant factor in the extinction of wild animals. A species of South African rabbit is preyed upon by stray cats, and its population currently numbers only 250 individuals.

The gloomy picture described by the Red Book - the material in which was collected by experts from different countries and special teams that focused on families of species - is not irreversible in some cases. In many places in the world, such as Israel, efforts are being made to preserve habitats for endangered species, and there are a large number of projects to restore extinct species to nature.

The most well-known examples of such projects are the reintroduction of the condor (the largest bird of prey) and the wolves into the wild in the USA. In Africa, efforts to preserve the white rhinoceros, which was on the verge of extinction, were a significant success. In Israel, donkeys, rams and ferals have been reintroduced to the wild, and in recent years breeding colonies of birds of prey have been established, and many of them have been successfully reintroduced.

There are also cases where species are rediscovered, after the experts were convinced they had disappeared. The people of the Nature Conservation Organization mention five examples of species that have not been observed for decades or hundreds of years and were therefore considered extinct, but in recent years have been observed by scientists again. One of them is a species of snail from the island of Madeira, which has not been seen since the mid-19th century and was declared extinct in 1966. Four years ago a snail survey was conducted in an area that was not previously considered a habitat for this snail and it was rediscovered. The experts lowered it with satisfaction to the status of "endangered".

A world is disappearing

A bird soaked in oil spilled from a tanker off the coast of Spain. Photo: Reuters

About 2,000 new species of animals and plants were entered this year

On the endangered species list * they joined 10,000 other species already on the list * in the Galapagos Islands

And in Hawaii, the Mediterranean and Asia - the threat does not skip any area

In the world * just in the last year, 11 types of animals and plants disappeared from the face of the earth * Who is to blame for this? We * "Human activity is the main threat to the existence of all species", says the International Conservation Organization * And there is also good news: 11 species of animals and plants that were previously defined as "extinct" were rediscovered this year

(evening)

When you see the pictures of the Seychelles, Galapagos and Hawaii, it seems for a moment that this is heaven on earth. But beneath this pleasant image hides a hard story of destruction and death that endangers the existence of thousands of species of animals and plants. Another 2,000 new species were added to the "Red List" published annually by the International Conservation Organization (IUCN), which tracks all plants and animals in danger of extinction.
Over 12,000 species are included in the 2003 list. To be exact, 12,259 species that you can still see today, but in a few years may only be taught about in nature classes, alongside the dinosaurs and other extinct animals.

Save the Galapagos snail

Although the International Conservation Organization collects its data from all over the world, this year it chose to put emphasis on inhabited islands, such as the Hawaiian Islands and the Seychelles Islands, which contain a huge variety of mammals, insects and plants, which they claim face a bleak future.
Already today, out of 125 species of animals and plants that exist only in the Hawaiian Islands, 85 are endangered. The list is divided into sub-lists - varieties that are in critical danger of their existence, varieties that are in danger of their existence, and varieties whose existence is currently under threat (but not yet in immediate danger).

Yesterday, hours after the publication of the annual list, the cynical question arose: "Who is faster, the riverine rabbit or the Galapagos snail?". In other words, which of the two will go extinct first. Both animals "progressed" this year to the category of critical danger and there is a reasonable chance that if their living conditions do not change soon, they will become extinct.
The riverine rabbit has extremely long ears, a black stripe on the lower jaw and a hairy, dark, woolly tail that stands out when it jumps. This animal is already considered one of the rarest in the world, since the female rabbit can give birth to one offspring a year, and a total of four during her entire life.
Today there are about 250 fertile couples in the world, but the number is gradually dropping. Traps, feral cats and wild dogs continue to harm the rare rabbit and gradually reduce its numbers.

The Galapagos snail is also critically endangered. In fact, this snail has 49 subspecies, and some may no longer exist. The small mollusk was once collected by Charles Darwin himself, and was a sign of impressive viability and survival after surviving volcanic eruptions and severe floods during its thousands of years of existence. But the presence of invasive species, such as goats and pigs, threaten its existence, say experts from the conservation organization. Most of the invasive animals were introduced to the islands artificially by humans in the last 200 years.
Like the snail and the rabbit, the sea creatures are not safe at all. The giant Mekong catfish found in South Asia, one of the largest marine fish in the world, has also been "upgraded" to the list of those under critical threat of existence. This whiskered catfish can reach a size of three meters and a weight of 300 kilograms. It suffers from overfishing, loss of habitat and destruction and obstruction of the main migration routes due to the construction of underwater dams. The population of these fish has decreased by 80 percent in just the last 12 years, and the rate of slaughter has only increased.

Only in zoos

Make no mistake, trouble is not just far away from us. A short-beaked dolphin living in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea was also added to the list this year, after its population has decreased by 50 percent in the last 30 years. The dolphin is finding it difficult to exist because the fish it feeds on are gradually disappearing due to water pollution.
What is the main reason for harming the animal and plant population? You were right. we. Almost everything humans do, from deforestation, urban expansion, agriculture, fishing, water pumping, pollution and hunting, creates a real threat to the natural diversity of the world's creatures.
"Human activity is perhaps the main threat to the existence of all species," says Achim Steiner, CEO of the International Conservation Organization, "but humans also have the power to restore them."

But for now it seems that we are going in the opposite direction. According to the numbers presented by the Red List, in the last 500 years, 762 species of plants and animals have disappeared from the world. Besides them, there are another 58 species that can only be found in captivity today (in zoos and research institutes, for example).
The Seychelles sea turtle lost the battle of the year. Not even one sea turtle survived, and thus it joins the list of extinct species from the face of the earth. If you have never visited the islands and had the chance to see such a turtle - from now on you will only be able to see it in pictures.

The trees don't survive either

And what is happening in the plant world? Take for example the following two plants, which were typical

to the Hawaiian Islands and entered the extinct list this year: the floral Clermonteia Peleane and Cyanea Superba from the palm family. Both were on the list of critically endangered species last year and did not survive. Proof that placement in the species list under the "critical danger" definition is a kind of worrisome prophecy. Besides them, another eight species were added to this year's extinct list, including a small Australian worm that was last seen in '71

Already this week, one more name dropped from the global inventory list - the St. Helena olive tree. Probably extinct in the last week. On top of the last tree that people are aware of on the South Atlantic island of St. Helena withered in the last few days and simply died.
Sometimes there is also good news. Surprisingly, even species that were removed from the threatened list and entered the extinct list, sometimes found themselves returning back to the threatened list. Chemical changes, surprising reincarnations or the identification of new habitats that were not known until now, can result in a plant or animal that was considered lost from the world, suddenly returning to be considered as existing.

The International Conservation Organization explains that in order to define a certain marine species as extinct, there should be no room for doubt that the last remaining individual of that species has died. This means that studies on members of the extinct species were conducted in the breeding or habitat areas regularly and over time and that these studies failed to locate any more recent representatives of that species.
At the same time, and despite the extreme care taken by the organization, 11 species of animals and plants that were previously defined as "extinct" were rediscovered this year. Among the returnees to our ranks is also the green sphinx moth, which originates from Hawaii. Apparently, this moth was defined in this way because of the great difficulty in finding its relatives.

They will disappear before we know them. This is the main reason, the conservation organization explains, that it is difficult to compare this year's list with previous years. Although last year the list of endangered varieties was less than a thousand (11,167 in total), but it must be taken into account that new varieties are discovered every day, while old varieties change their position on the list.
7,000 researchers on behalf of the organization networked all over the world compiled the red list. They studied over 18,000 varieties and sub-varieties spread over hundreds of countries. The number may sound large, but it should be taken into account that it is estimated that there are over 14 million varieties of plants and animals in the world, of which only about 750 thousand varieties have been recorded by humans. It is possible that many of the varieties will become extinct even before we even recognize them.

The conservation organization says that the rate of extinction today is 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than it should be, under natural circumstances of the laws of nature and survival. This means that by the next century many of our neighbors will be gone. Some of them are here long before us.

Endangered plant and animal species

Understanding Saint Helena

A critically endangered shrub found on the island of St. Helena. Disappeared almost completely in the 18th century due to grazing goats that ate it. Today there are only a few bushes left in the wild

Golden Harry Tamarin

Lives in Brazil. It is defined as an endangered species, but there is an improvement in its condition due to conservation efforts. Today there are more than 1,000 individuals in the wild, but their natural habitat has been destroyed.

Mediterranean common dolphin

A common subspecies in many areas (also on the coasts of Israel). Its population in the Mediterranean has shrunk by half in recent decades due to environmental pollution and a decrease in food quantities as a result of fishing

Black-browed albatross

All 21 albatross species in the world are in danger of extinction. The main cause of their disappearance: hooks thrown by fishermen in which the birds get caught and die

Giant catfish

One of the largest freshwater fish in the world that lives in Vietnam. In serious danger of extinction due to dams that disrupt its movement and deforestation that has increased siltation into the river

From the island of spiromania

A small shrub from Hawaii that is in serious danger of extinction. Today, less than 25 bushes remain in the wild. Among the causes of its disappearance: wild boars that trample and eat the plant

are in clear and immediate danger

(Ruthy Russo, Maariv)

Chinese alligator
This is one of the crocodile species that faces the most serious threat of extinction. It is a relatively small reptile, reaching a length of up to two meters. The Chinese crocodile spends a large part of the year in its den. The biggest threat to this species comes from local farmers who kill it and destroy its den because it is harmful to the agricultural land.
* The fruit bat from Bonin Island

Found in very small numbers on five small, remote Japanese islands. It is in serious danger of extinction due to hunting as well as due to the process of deforestation on the islands, which leaves no space for it to live. In '96 it was defined in the list of vulnerable varieties, and within 6 years it "jumped" to the list of varieties that are in critical danger.
* Philippine eagle

The population of Philippine eagles is estimated at about 350 to 650 eagles. One of the serious problems that threaten the existence of this species is the extinction of the forests that are their habitat. To protect them, regulations were enacted in the Philippines prohibiting the hunting of this species and protecting its nests, and a public campaign was launched to save them. Saving this species depends only on strict enforcement of these regulations and the preservation of the forests in the area.

Also in Israel: 170 species are in danger of extinction

(evening)

What do the green sea turtle, the tiger, the horned viper, the golden squirrel, the sand cat, the red falcon and the black crow have in common? All of them found a worrying place in the list of endangered species in Israel. Unfortunately for the local nature lovers, even our tiny country has a growing red list, one that could fill an entire book.

At the beginning of the year, the Nature and Parks Authority and the Society for the Protection of Nature published the "Red Book" - a parallel version of the Red Lists published by the World Organization for Nature Conservation. At first glance, the book looks like another definition of animals, but this time it is a list of animals that will soon disappear from the landscape of Israel. 170 species of vertebrates (vertebrates) living in Israel are currently in danger of extinction (out of 450 species).
The fact that there are so many endangered animals on a small piece of land like Israel makes every step critical in terms of nature conservation. Every new neighborhood that is built or a sand dune that is destroyed can damage an entire fabric of life.
One of the more familiar animals on the list is the otter. Today, there are a little less than 100 otters left all over the country. Otters were most common in coastal streams and Hula Lake but were hunted en masse for their fur.
Amit Dolev, Director of the Mammal Center at the Society for the Protection of Nature and one of the editors of the book: "We identify the problems between the lines and try to treat the most problematic species, with an emphasis on species unique to Israel. At the same time, we are making an attempt to prevent destruction to habitats in general. The sensitivity in Israel is great, because despite the wealth, the numbers of the population are small. If we take the tiger population as an example, we used to have an inflation of 15 tigers. In Israel this is considered too much, but in absolute terms it is a very small figure and every detail is important"