Extinction

Africa's western black rhino is now officially extinct according the latest review of animals and plants by the world's largest conservation network. The subspecies of the black rhino -- which is classified as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species -- was last seen in western Africa in 2006. The IUCN warns that other rhinos could follow saying Africa's northern white rhino is "teetering on the brink of extinction" while Asia's Javan rhino is "making its last stand" due to continued poaching and lack of conservation.

Nearly half the world's primate species are in danger of extinction, according to a report released Wednesday by a major conservation group. The main threat facing primates -- including apes, monkeys, and lemurs -- is tropical forest destruction, with the illegal wildlife trade and commercial bush meat hunting also playing roles. Scientists say primates are humankind's closest animal relatives. Of the world's 634 primate species, 48 percent are threatened with extinction, according to the report, issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Human interference has increased the natural extinction rate of the world's species by how much? 10 times 50 times Up to 1,000 times The answer is: Up to 1,000 times, according to the Sierra Club.

The lion is close to extinction in Africa, a wildlife expert has warned after numbers fell by 90 percent during the last 20 years. Only 23,000 are left compared to an estimated 200,000 in the early 1980s as a result of hunters killing them to protect livestock, said Laurence Frank, a wildlife biologist from the University of California. Interviewed in New Scientist magazine, published on Thursday, Frank said: "It's not just lions. Populations of all African predators are plummeting.

Up to half of the world's magnolia species are in danger of extinction, according to a new study by conservationists. While popular ornamental species continue to bloom in gardens, the flowering plants face a more precarious future in the wild as their native forest habitats are increasingly threatened by human activities, the authors warn. The Red List of the Magnoliaceae, produced jointly by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and Fauna & Flora International (FFI)

A loud crack echoes throughout the canopy as two young orangutans come tumbling down, grasping at branches along the way to break their fall. They recover and sheepishly scamper back up. This is lesson one of jungle school here in the forests of central Sumatra, one of the few places where orangutans are being successfully rehabilitated into the wild. "They have to learn that their whole environment is completely different from the cage," says Peter Pratje of the Frankfurt Zoological Society.

Nearly half of the worlds turtle species face possible extinction, due in large part to the growing use of turtles as sources for food and medicinal ingredients, freshwater turtle experts attending an international conference concluded earlier this month.;While the plight of sea turtles is fairly well known, very few people realize that many freshwater turtles and tortoises face an even more critical situation. The causes are crystal clear, says Dr. Jeffrey Lovich, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

From Gary Strieker CNN Environmental Correspondent DAVAO, Philippines (CNN) -- In the Philippines, every creature surely fears the airborne predator at the top of the food chain, the Philippine eagle. But even the world's largest bird of prey faces the risk of extinction. Like the American bald eagle, the Philippine eagle serves as a national symbol. Yet it is critically endangered because most of its forest habitat has been destroyed. "The eagle is disappearing because of human activity, the logging and everything.

Tiny diamonds found in the soil are "strong evidence" a comet exploded on or above North America nearly 13,000 years ago, leading to the extinction of dozens of mammal species, according to a study. The scientific report also suggests the cataclysm also reduced the population of the earliest people to inhabit the region and triggered a 1,300-year-long cold spell that stretched around the world. The heat generated by the extraterrestrial impact likely melted much of a glacier that once covered the Great Lakes region, sending a massive flood down the Mississippi River, the study said.

A fifth of the world's vertebrates are facing extinction because of invasion and the effects of agriculture, a global study warned Wednesday. The number of species facing extinction is rising, according to scientists, but conservation efforts are helping reduce the overall rate. "The backbone of biodiversity is being eroded," said Edward O. Wilson, a professor and ecologist at Harvard University. "One small step up the Red List is one giant leap forward towards extinction.

Africa's western black rhino is now officially extinct according the latest review of animals and plants by the world's largest conservation network. The subspecies of the black rhino -- which is classified as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species -- was last seen in western Africa in 2006. The IUCN warns that other rhinos could follow saying Africa's northern white rhino is "teetering on the brink of extinction" while Asia's Javan rhino is "making its last stand" due to continued poaching and lack of conservation.

A Chinese delicacy may soon disappear from California restaurants if a bill to ban the sale of shark fins makes it through the state Senate. A symbol of wealth and luxury, shark fin soup was once prized by Chinese emperors for its rarity. Today, it's typically served at weddings and banquets to demonstrate a host's good fortune. But it comes at a high price, for one's wallet and the environment. Shark fins, which fetch up to $600 per pound, are sometimes acquired through the controversial practice of finning: a shark's fins are cut off and the rest of its body is tossed into the ocean.

Forty years ago the Arabian oryx was extinct in the wild. Today this large antelope, native to the Arabian peninsula, is back from the brink with 1,000 animals across five Middle Eastern countries, thanks to a breeding program and series of re-introductions. It is an unprecedented conservation success story, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which recently re-classified the Arabian oryx from "endangered" to "vulnerable. " The organization said it was the first time that a species which was once "extinct in the wild" has improved in status by three full categories out of six on its Red List.

A toad which hasn't been observed in the wild for almost a century has been rediscovered by researchers in Malaysian Borneo. Last seen 87 years ago, the Bornean Rainbow Toad (also called the Sambas Stream Toad) was found in forests in the Gunung Penrissen mountain range in Sarawak State. Photographs of the brightly-colored, spindly-legged toad are the first ever to be taken and were captured by professor Indraneil Das, who led the research team last year. Das, an ecologist from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, described the find as "thrilling" and one which underlines the importance of targeted protection and conservation.

For decades, Bollywood film releases were accompanied by beautiful painted posters that decorated city streets all over India. Heroic princesses, noble maharajahs and dastardly criminals, painted larger than life by artists and craftsmen in vivid colors, graced billboards towering often fifty feet high. But where Mumbai, Bollywood's home town, used to have 300 such poster painters, now there remain only a handful. One of them is Sheikh Rehman, a poster painter for 54 years who has witnessed his trade dying out thanks to cheaper and quicker digital production.

Marine life is under severe threat from global warming, pollution and habitat loss, with a high risk of "major extinctions" according to a panel of experts. These are the conclusions of a distinguished group of marine scientists who met at Oxford University, England, in April to discuss the impact of human activity on the world's oceans. The meeting, led by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO), examined the combined effects of pollution, acidification, ocean warming, over-fishing and depleting levels of oxygen in the water.

Almost 25 years after the California condor went extinct in the wild and dwindled to just 27 birds in captivity, North America's largest flying bird is on the verge of a watershed moment: Its total population is projected to hit 400 this spring, including 200 birds thriving in the wild. The projections come as curators are reporting a successful hatching season at breeding centers in California and elsewhere. "At the end of the breeding season, we should be at 400 if all goes to projection," said Michael Mace, curator of birds at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

A fifth of the world's vertebrates are facing extinction because of invasion and the effects of agriculture, a global study warned Wednesday. The number of species facing extinction is rising, according to scientists, but conservation efforts are helping reduce the overall rate. "The backbone of biodiversity is being eroded," said Edward O. Wilson, a professor and ecologist at Harvard University. "One small step up the Red List is one giant leap forward towards extinction.

Animals that were thought to be extinct for hundreds of years may in fact still be alive, according to a new study by Australian scientists. Biologists at the University of Queensland examined more than 180 different extinct species, only to discover that a third of them were still alive. The study which appeared in the journal "Proceedings of the Royal Society B" claims that conservationists have been overplaying the number of species driven to extinction. The study also criticized conservationists by saying too much emphasis had been placed on trying to find species that would never be found again.

Life as we know it would simply not exist without plants. Biodiversity -- the web of all life on Earth -- depends fundamentally on plants and fungi. Plants are used by every human being on the planet, every single day. Just think of what you ate for breakfast this morning, the cup of coffee at your desk, the clothes you're wearing. Plants provide the human race with food, fuel, medicine, clothing and shelter, whether we live in the countryside or a modern city, in Europe or sub-Saharan Africa.