23 new plant and animal species have been officially declared extinct by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him23 new plant and animal species have been officially declared extinct by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. In a planet increasingly compromised by man, it is a real challenge to try to save biodiversity
The wonderful ivory-billed woodpecker, which has so far populated the green areas of Arkansas (United States), is now extinct forever, according to federal authorities. So it is also for the parula di Bachman, a small yellow-breasted passerine bird, once the protagonist of migrations between the United States and Cuba, and for many other animals that lived in different areas of the American continent.
In total, 22 animal species and 1 plant species have been officially declared extinct and removed from the list of endangered species - demonstrating how much the richness of biodiversity is in danger due to human activities. Intensive farming, mining activities, unsustainable agriculture, exploitation of water resources, pollution: all this is destroying the habitats of many animal and plant species, causing their slow disappearance.
Each of these 23 species represents a permanent loss to our nation's ecosystem and global biodiversity - he said. Bridget Fahey, which is in charge of classifying animal and plant species for the Fish and Wildlife Service. - And it's a sad reminder that extinction is a consequence of man-made environmental changes.
Extinct species include 11 bird species, 8 molluscs, 2 fish species, one bat species and one plant species. Many of these were already seriously threatened with extinction when the Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973: therefore, despite the efforts of animal rights activists and scientists, it would not have been possible to save them from extinction. Since the act came into force, 54 species have been removed from the list of animals at risk of extinction because their populations have visibly increased, while another 48 have gone from being in danger of extinction to being threatened; unfortunately, however, 11 other species on the list have been declared permanently extinct.
If there had been no species conservation programs, many more animals would have been declared extinct. However, much can and still needs to be done to help endangered species, because the planet is changing too fast and animals are unable to adapt as quickly to such a changing habitat. Around the world, the extinction of about 902 species has been documented - but this number is estimated to be much higher in reality: there are in fact many species that went extinct before scientists even managed to classify and analyze them.
Follow us on Telegram | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Youtube
Source: NPR
We also recommend:
- Because of global warming, animals are changing traits of their organisms
- Another 31 species have become extinct. All freshwater dolphins are also at risk
- Not only animals, 40% of plants and fungi are also at risk of extinction
