More species slide to extinction

[Dead_Parrot]

The polar bear and hippopotamus are for the first time listed as species threatened with extinction by the world's biodiversity agency.

They are included in the Red List of Threatened Species published by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) which names more than 16,000 at-risk species.

Many sharks, and freshwater fish in Europe and Africa, are newly included.

The IUCN says loss of biodiversity is increasing despite a global convention committing governments to stem it.

"The 2006 Red List shows a clear trend; biodiversity loss is increasing, not slowing down," said IUCN director-general Achim Steiner.

More warm fuzziness at the BBC.

www.redlist.org currently lists 22,891 species, including "data deficient" but excluding "least concern" and extinct: everything from Aaadonta angaurana (a type of snail) to Zyzomys pedunculatus (an australian rat)

Depressing stuff.

[wizdum]

1. What a shame.

It's heartbreaking. The poor polar bears. Humans are a plague upon the planet. Mother Nature may have to throw a couple of disasters our way to scale down our populations. What a greedy mess the human race has become. Tragic.

[blindpig]

2. Bah, what good are they anyway?

I mean, if I can't consume them why should I care? Useless vermin and weeds got no business getting between me and my gasoline, toilet paper and cell phone. I'm on this planet to live my life to the fullest and to hell with anything or anybody that deprives me of that fullestness! Right? Anything else is communism, right? Goddamn treehugging commies!
:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: