endangered species

The most recent assessment of 14,669 threatened European plant and animal species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species has found that 19 percent are at risk of extinction. Some of the main reasons for the decline in biodiversity are habitat loss, changes in agricultural land use, overexploitation of […]

Often when we talk about the health implications of particular chemicals, the conversation tends to focus on the human impact, yet animals also suffer when harmful chemicals accumulate in their bodies and ecosystems.  A new map highlights how pervasive the problem is for wildlife around the world by showcasing the scientific evidence linking so-called flame-retardant […]

The threat of extinction and endangerment of species is accelerated by human activity like deforestation, hunting and pollution, as well as climate change and its various impacts like extreme weather and warming temperatures. A species’ importance to an ecosystem often isn’t noticed until it’s gone. When humans encroach on wild territory, we often disrupt the […]

The main driver of the extinction of plant and wildlife species around the world is habitat loss. In the U.S. alone, approximately 650 species have become extinct or are “missing in action,” according to the National Wildlife Federation. This week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) removed 21 species from the Endangered Species Act […]

In an effort to bring the rare Scottish wildcat back from the brink of extinction, conservationists have released 19 young wildcats, which were bred in captivity, throughout the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands. The Scottish wildcat, or Felis silvestris, is the last surviving native wildcat in the UK, according to National Museums Scotland. […]

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has announced two new wildlife refuges. The Wyoming Toad Conservation Area and the Paint Rock River National Wildlife Refuge in Tennessee become the 569th and 570th refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, and the announcement comes amid National Wildlife Refuge Week, which started Oct. 7 and runs […]

A new State of the World’s Plant and Fungi report from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew), presents the current conditions of Earth’s plants and fungi. Based on more than 25 scientific papers and the work of 200 researchers from around the world, the report looks at global biodiversity patterns and drivers, as well as […]

In a race to catalog endangered species of the U.S. before it’s too late, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced this week a biobanking initiative in partnership with the nonprofit Revive & Restore. The new project is the first systematic biobanking initiative for endangered species in the U.S. The program will involve collecting live […]