Conservationists say rare Chinese seabird is on the verge of extinction - AP

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Conservationists say rare Chinese seabird is on the verge of extinction

The Associated Press
Published: September 20, 2007

BEIJING: The Chinese crested tern, a rare sea bird whose eggs
are prized by some as a delicacy, is likely to be extinct in five
years if authorities do not step up protection efforts, a
conservation group said Friday.

The bird looks set to be the latest ecological victim of China's
rapid 30-year economic expansion and industrialization, which
has raised the standard of living for hundreds of millions of
Chinese but ravaged the environment. Late last year, scientists
declared that a rare Chinese river dolphin was effectively
extinct after conducting a fruitless six-week search for the
creature in its Yangtze River habitat.

A survey by a team of Chinese experts conducted over recent
successive breeding seasons found that the number of crested
terns had fallen to 50 birds, about half the population found
three years ago, said a statement from BirdLife International,
a conservation group based in Cambridge, England.

"Without urgent action conservationists have given the bird
less than five years before disappearing completely from its
two remaining breeding areas," the statement said.

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Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/21/asia/AS-GEN-China-Endangered-Bird.php