Almost 10% of major species face threat of extinction

ALMOST 10% of the world’s mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish are in danger of extinction due to climate change and other factors, according to a report released yesterday.

The Number of Living Species in Australia and the World study found that 0.9% of the world’s 1.9 million classified species were at threat, including 9.2% of major vertebrate species.

Australia’s government-funded biological resources study, the world’s only census of animal and plant life, found that 20.8% of mammals were endangered, as were 12.2% of birds and 29.2% of amphibians.

Of reptiles, 4.8% were considered threatened, along with 4.1% of fish species.

“In Australia and around the world, biodiversity is under huge and growing pressure,” said environment secretary Robyn Kruk.

“The pressures are pervasive and chronic in many places; invasive species, habitat loss and climate change in particular.”

Australia is home to 7.8% of the world’s species. Environment minister Peter Garrett said the study showed its wildlife was highly unique, with 87% of mammals and 93% of reptiles found nowhere else in the world.

However, Aussie species accounted for 9.1% of the world’s threatened flora and fauna. “We need this essential information to do a better job of managing our biodiversity against the threats of invasive species, habitat-loss and climate change,” Garrett added.

The report said there were probably 11 million species on Earth only 1.9 million of which had been discovered, with millions of invertebrates, fungi and other organisms yet to be found.