More animals at risk of extinction go unreported
Rapid conversion of natural forests in mainland South-East Asia have put more animals at risk of extinction but are not making it to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of threatened species. The study, published in PLOS One on August 3, notes that this rapid rate of deforestation is threatening 122 kinds of mammals, 183 birds and 214 amphibians that are endemic to the region. A traditional species-by-species assessment as done by the IUCN is deemed too slow to deal with this rising threat. Stuart Pimm, one of the study’s authors and a conservation professor at Duke University, says the team used remote sensing technology to analyse the changing landscape in mainland South-East Asia and how it has affected the distribution of animals living in the region.
