Third
Of Plants And Animals 'At Risk Of
Extinction'
The world's biodiversity is
threatened by
the economic growth of countries
like China,
India and Brazil, the study will
say. While
Western countries are increasingly
aware of
the need to protect endangered
species, the
developing world's appetite for raw
materials is destroying vulnerable
ecosystems, the report's authors
will warn.
Population growth, pollution and the
spread
of Western-style consumption are
also blamed
for hitting plant and animal
populations.
Species at risk include the fishing
cat, as
its wetland habitats in India,
Pakistan and
southeast Asia are converted for
agriculture. Maritime ecosystems are
under
particular threat, with the south
Asian
river dolphin among the species
whose
numbers have plummeted due to
damming and
overfishing. The latest report – the
third
edition of the UN's Global
Biodiversity
Outlook – is based on data obtained
from
studies in more than 120 countries
across
the world.