Dozens of Primate Species on the Brink of Extinction. By Marlowe Hood, AFP, February 17, 2010. "Seldom seen species of lemur, monkey and gorilla are among 25 primates facing near-certain extinction unless urgent measures are taken to protect them, according to a report [PDF, 92 pp] released on February 11. All told, close to half of the planet's 634 known primate species are to some degree threatened with dying out, said the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and other conservation and research groups. That percentage has risen quickly -- only three years ago the IUCN put the ratio of vulnerable primates at one third. 'Primates are among the most endangered of all vertebrate groups,' said Russell Mittermeier, head of the IUCN's primate specialist group. Of the top 25, five are on the island of Madagascar, six on the African continent, three in South America and 11 in Southeast Asia."
2010-03-01
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment