endangered species

Human Activities Have Drastically Reduced Habitats for Asian Elephants

Human Activities Have Drastically Reduced Habitats for Asian Elephants

Despite their iconic status and long association with humans, Asian elephants are one of the most endangered large mammals. Believed to number between 45,000 and 50,000 individuals worldwide, they are at risk throughout Asia due to human activities such as deforestation, mining, dam building and road construction, which have damaged numerous ecosystems.

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    Scientists Identify Plastic as New Threat to Andean Condors in Protected Areas

    Scientists Identify Plastic as New Threat to Andean Condors in Protected Areas

    Plastic is everywhere and now, scientists have confirmed plastic as a new threat to Andean condors even in protected areas of Peru. Research revealed high amounts of plastic in the diets and the regurgitated pellets of these birds. Researchers were studying Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) feeding interactions in Peru when they noticed that samples from […]

    Deep-Sea Mining Could Harm Whales and Dolphins, Too

    Deep-Sea Mining Could Harm Whales and Dolphins, Too

    Blue whales are the largest animals on Earth, but that didn’t save them when commercial whaling wiped out as much as 97 percent of their numbers. Today, the aquatic giants are still considered Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, and while their numbers are increasing, they still face threats including […]

    Wildlife Trafficking 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Wildlife Trafficking 101: Everything You Need to Know

     Quick Key Facts  Wildlife trafficking is the second biggest direct threat to species, following habitat destruction.  It’s a huge business with smuggled goods valued at $10 billion a year, and involves tens of thousands of species and millions of wild plants and animals.  The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) found that 958 species […]

    Australia Aims to End Species Extinctions — Can Its New Plan Succeed?

    Australia Aims to End Species Extinctions — Can Its New Plan Succeed?

    Australia has one of the highest rates of species extinctions in the world, but it has just announced an initiative to preserve 30% of the country’s land mass by 2030 in order to bring species extinctions down entirely to zero. Australia is home to many unique plants and animals, but increasing extreme weather events, including […]

    5 Big Threats to Rivers

    5 Big Threats to Rivers

    By Tara Lohan If we needed any more motivation to help save our ailing rivers, it should have come with the findings of a recent study, which revealed that “Nowhere is the biodiversity crisis more acute than in freshwater ecosystems.” Rivers, lakes and inland wetlands cover 1% of the Earth but provide homes for 10% of […]