Scientists warn: one-fifth of vertebrates - including panda, tiger and black rhino - are threatened with extinction in the near future. Many species disappear even before being discovered, but other more well-known ones also live the last decades of their existence.
According to this new study, published in the magazine Science, the crisis affecting wildlife is serious and is likely to worsen due to climate change. While there are still many species to discover, mostly insects, fungi and plants, but this does not prevent already known animals from running a huge danger. And it is during the last half-century that the aggression of nature has completely degenerated.
While scientists estimate that nearly a fifth of vertebrates are threatened, the fate of most species remains unclear. A survey from 1998 found that 70% of biologists thought that one fifth of all species would have disappeared by 2030. Many experts now estimate that the world loses 5% of its species per decade, which means that their numbers will have been halved by 2150.
While conservation measures have made a big difference in recent years (many species have survived longer than expected), a "human-caused mass extinction is underway".
Moreover, the authors add that climate change threatens to make a huge difference, especially combined with the loss of already highly advanced habitat. "If we fail to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius, the darker predictions will turn out to be true," said Professor Nigel Stork of Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia.
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