Humans kill 1pc of animal species yearly: report

ABC News
A new scientific report says humans are eliminating about 1 per cent of all animal species each year.

The census of wildlife says that more than one in four species have disappeared in the past 35 years.

Pollution, the expansion of farming and cities, and over-hunting are said to have caused the most rapid decline since the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Colin Butfield from the British arm of environmental organisation WWF said the new data has to be taken seriously.

"It's an absolutely alarming statistic, especially when you consider the rising awareness in environmental problems at the moment that we're still seeing substantial declines in every major part of the world, every major ecosystem in the world," he said.

"We've looked at 4,000 different populations of 1,500 animals and clearly that's not every population in the world, but it's a huge sample size and they're all showing a similar type of trend."

Whenever I read things like this, I consider the food chain... it is so delicate. If we continue to lose species at this rate, we will end up on the same path headed for extinction.


[edit on 16-5-2008 by Thurisaz]

i am so freaking ashamed of being human, we think we can control eveything and all of it, we believe our own hype and is sick that the rest of the planet has to suffer because of our megalomania.

reply to post by CzErased



oh I think most people don't care but there are those who dedicate their lives trying to save other species. ...it is horrible when a report like this comes out but for every one person who doesn't care, there a many who do.

I know a lot of people who are planting trees, making little habitats for frogs to live in. Leaving food out for animals and birds.

I went to a little place called Pt Elliott in Vic just recently and omg, the locals there, if you disturb the breeding ground of the hooded plover, your dead meat. I felt really happy when I saw that...

here is some conservation work being done is Australia:

Rare species

Oh I absolutely love the Red Tailed Black Cockatoo... it is endangered and when I was living in the hills a flock of them would rest on the property.. I was thrilled. And even more thrilled when a 'duckhead' chopped down trees on his property. He was fined $50,000 dollars per tree. I was devasted as this area is the breeding ground of the RTB Cockatoo. The property owner was ordered to plant the same trees