Report: Plenty of Endangered Species Success Stories, Big Threats Remain
Monday, November 1, 2010
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A new report published in the journal "Science" finds many success stories in bringing endangered species back from the brink, but says the victories are not keeping pace with the threats to extinction. Bruce Stein, associate director for Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming with the National Wildlife Federation, co-authored the report. He says New Mexico faces big challenges from climate change because so many species depend on the state's sources of fresh water.
"Some, like the willow flycatcher and the yellow-billed cuckoo, are quite rare birds. Others, like sandhill cranes, are still quite abundant, of course, but are very dependent on freshwater resources in the state."
Stein notes the clear role for government to play in revitalizing endangered species, but increasingly he has seen the private sector stepping up to help out, too, he says, "to make sure that wetlands continue to stay intact and help to protect wide open grasslands and other ecosystems."
According to the report, about one-fifth of the world's animals are facing possible extinction, and that list is growing each year. Stein says the report shows that threats to biodiversity are a major challenge, but things would be even worse if not for the conservation efforts that have been undertaken so far.
More information on the report is available at http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2010/10/new-global-analysis-shows-value-of-conservation/.
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