West African lions critically endangered
The Red List of Endangered Species, backed by governments, scientists and conservationists, grew to 22,784 species in 2015, almost a third of all animals and plants sampled, from 22,413 a year ago, it said.
Loss of habitats, such as clearance of forests for farmland, cities or roads, was the main cause of the rise, according to the list compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
