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More bird species facing extinction: IUCN
Geneva (AFP) May 14, 2009 Twelve percent or 1,227 bird species worldwide are facing extinction, with 24 more threatened now than a year ago, according to an update of the IUCN Red List index of endangered wildlife. Among them are two bird species -- the Gorgeted Puffleg and the Sidamo Lark -- which have been added to a list of birds in the highest threat category of critically endangered, bringing the total in this group to 192. "It is extremely worrying that the number of Critically Endangered birds on the IUCN Red List continues to increase, despite successful conservation initiatives around the world," Simon Stuart, chair of International Union for Conservative of Nature's species survival commission said in a statement. The Gorgeted Puffleg, a type of hummingbird, was recently discovered in Colombia, but its 1,200 hectares (nearly 3,000 acres) of habitat is shrinking annually by eight percent as they are being turned into cocoa plantations. The Sidamo Lark from Ethiopia has been upgraded as it faces the danger of becoming Africa's first extinct bird species as pastures are overgrazed. The IUCN said it was concerned not only by birds that are heading towards extinction, it noted also that "common birds are becoming less common." North America's Chimney Swift for instance, has been upgraded to the category of near threatened from least concerned, as its population showed a decline of 30 percent in the last decade. The IUCN is a global environmental network of over 1,000 governments and non-governmental organisations. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Skin demand threatens Nigeria crocsKano, Nigeria (AFP) May 12, 2009 Business is booming at Ismail Dauda's crocodile tannery in northern Nigeria, but environmentalists fear soaring demand for skins could be driving the reptiles to extinction. Thirty-five year-old Dauda followed his father Maifata, whose name means "The Skin Man", into the family business of tanning crocodile and python pelts when he was just 15. At his tannery in the old part of Nigeria's ... read more |
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