The world's species face an unprecedented crisis. The rate at which species are being lost is alarming as they are threatened in every habitat on every continent. Using the latest statistics and other information, this book provides an invaluable overview of the current situation both in the UK and internationally. Many of the articles also discuss what is being done to protect our endangered plants and wildlife.
The information comes from a wide variety of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper reports, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: The Worldwide Situation
Endangered animals of the world, Endangered treasures, Return of the great white hunters, Wonderful wildlife, Half of the world's plant species 'under threat', Globally threatened birds, Unprecedented extinction rate, and it's increasing, The world's rarest mammals, Disappearing forests, Threatened trees, Whale watching, Oceans in crisis, Shark numbers 'at point of no return', Trade in endangered species, Bushmeat, Endangered species, Advice for travellers, The exotic pet trade and conservation, Traditional medicine, Putting the con in conservation, Red alert over rare species, World must face up to loss of plant and animal species.
Chapter Two: The UK Situation
British endangered species, Endangered wildlife and habitats, Mammals facts, Otter numbers show five fold increase, England's rainforest, Plight of the disappearing butterflies, Vanishing wildflowers, Saving sparrows, UK a haven for traffickers of rare species, Wildlife crime.
Key Facts
Additional Resources
Index
• The extinction of at least 500 species of animals has been caused by man, most of them in the last century. Today there are about 5,000 endangered animals and at least one species dies out every year. (p. 02)
• Using the data for 189 countries and territories, the authors calculated that the global percentage of threatened plants is between 22 and 47 per cent. (p. 07)
• There are many causes of the current extinction crisis, but all of them stem from unsustainable management of the planet by humans. (p. 10)
• Climate change, ozone depletion, toxic pollution, noise pollution and overfishing have left the oceans in a crisis which threatens the future of whales and the entire marine ecosystem. (p. 14)
• Fifty years ago there were eight subspecies of tiger, but three are now extinct. Today, all five remaining subspecies are endangered. (p. 17)
• The widespread and growing popularity of traditional medicine threatens the survival of tigers, rhinoceros, bears, seahorses and other endangered species. (p. 23)
• Around one in ten of all the world's bird species and a quarter of its mammals are officially listed as threatened with extinction. (p. 27)
• The numbers of many animal and plant species in Britain have declined in recent years due to the loss of the habitat in which they are usually found. (p. 28)
• In Britain we have lost over 100 species this century. (p. 28)
• In the last century, around 170 species of plants and animals became extinct in the UK, such as the mouse-eared bat, the Norfolk damselfly and the summer lady's tresses orchid. Many continue to decline at a rapid rate. (p. 30)
• A fifth of Britain's wild plants are under threat and the chances of seeing them in the wild are growing slimmer by the year. (p. 36)
• British wildlife traffickers are smuggling in some of the world's most endangered animals knowing that there is little chance of being prosecuted and only a remote threat of being given prison sentences or substantial fines. (p. 38)
Threatened Species Study Guide
Each book in the Issues series has a study guide. These four-page guides provide a variety of discussion points and other activities to suit a wide range of ability levels and interests.
Publisher: Independence Educational Publishers
Price: £1.50
ISBN: 978 1 86168 285 7
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