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Jessica Bryant / Zoological Society of London
The Hainan gibbon, a native of China's Hainan Island, was among the 100 most endangered species cited in a new report. Fewer than 50 of the apes are left.
Priceless or worthless? That's the question posed in a report released Tuesday that lists the 100 most endangered animals, plants and fungi around the globe, as chosen by 8,000 experts for the Zoological Society of London and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The question was raised because the species closest to extinction don't have an obvious economic value to mankind and yet some, especially the experts, would argue for their protection.
"The donor community and conservation movement are leaning increasingly towards a 'what can nature do for us' approach, where species and wild habitats are valued and prioritized according to the services they provide for people," Jonathan Bailie, conservation director at the Zoological Society of London, said in a statement issued with the report.
"This has made it increasingly difficult for conservationists to protect the most threatened species on the planet," he added. "We have an important moral and ethical decision to make: Do these species have a right to survive or do we have a right to drive them to extinction?"
Craig Turner / Zoological Society of London
The pgymy three-toed sloth is native to an island off Panama. Fewer than 500 are thought to be left.
The species are native to 48 countries, but their names don't always shout out "Save me" -- among them the pygmy three-toed sloth (found only on an island off Panama and fewer than 500 are left); the Hainan gibbon (fewer than 20 are left on China's Hainan Island); and the willow blister (a fungi found in Wales).
The report doesn't estimate the cost of saving the 100 species, nor does it rank them, instead listing them alphabetically by their scientific name -- starting with Astrochelys yniphora, or ploughshare tortoise.
"Having narrowly survived hunting pressure and habitat destruction by fire in the past, this species’ good looks may be its ultimate downfall as illegal collection for the international pet trade is likely to push it to extinction in the wild in the near future," the report states.
The Japanese otter was declared extinct today by the Japanese government after not being spotted for over 30 years. NBCNews.com's Richard Lui reports.
Fewer than 770 ploughshare tortoise are thought to survive in the wild of their native Madagascar.
The experts noted that the 100 species chosen are just a fraction of the thousands of species that also face extinction, just perhaps not as soon.
"The future of many species is going to depend on reconciling the needs of people and nature, and ensuring economic development and conservation do not undermine each other," Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN's species survival commission, said in a foreword to the report.
"If we ignore the question" about priceless or worthless, he added, "we shall be inadvertently accepting the ethical position that human-caused mass extinction is acceptable."
The World Wildlife Fund framed the issue slightly differently.
"Ideally, we would try and save every species on the planet because everything in nature is connected and so are the solutions to environmental problems," Sybille Klenzendorf, WWF's species conservation director, told NBC News. "However, since saving every single species would be an enormous undertaking, we must focus our efforts on conserving nature as a whole.
"For WWF, that means working on what we call umbrella species like tigers, elephants and rhinos," she added. "By focusing on conservation of those species, we’re also aiming to protect other species that share their habitat -- or are vulnerable to the same threats."
Cristian Samper, head of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, agreed on that approach.
"We won't be able to save every species, but if we are smart we can save many of them," Samper said. "We focus on places where you have many species and big threats."
"In extreme cases," Samper said, "we will save species in zoos and aquariums and then reintroduce them, like we did at the WCS Bronx Zoo with the American bison a hundred years ago and we are doing that now with turtles and frogs today."
Galapagos tortoise Lonesome George has died. The only remaining Pinta Island giant tortoise-believed to be the last of his species- was believed to be about 100 years old. ITV's Annabel Roberts reports.Â
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Leave a Comment:
So, let's do everything in our power as a species to try to save any and all the animals and plants that we can.
The question was raised because the species closest to extinction don't have an obvious economic value to mankind and yet some, especially the experts, would argue for their protection.
So because something doesn't have any "economic value" it has no value?????
Not everything on this planet in it's natural state needs to somehow line the pockets of 'humanity' to have value!!! And I use THAT term loosely!
Yup. I personally would like to see a whole lot of wild creatures running free than an a whole lot of humans running around. I would also like to see a whole lot more open space to roam around in without restrictions.
Anyone who compelled to ask that question has a very sick mind, indeed!
While we are in this pre-flood period of human history it would not be advisable to present that question to God concerning us as a species.
WHO IS THE ARROGANT IDIOT "are they worth saving?"
There are billions of 2-leggeds on this planet.
Look at Communist China to begin with...l/5 of Planet Earth and growing
Indonesia and by the way the USA bailed them out TWICE...compare their overpop to our 4% and we take in 7-8 million annually due to Open BOrders all while our laws dictate l ONE MILLION
The we have India
Look in your own hometown phonebook, then a major city: there are names on 20-30 pages...and these species according to the pathetically arrogant author "are they worthy saving!?
Only a lame brain, empty selfish 2-legged could make that statement...
It is because of you that our Planet is dyeing...and we are cutting our own throats rewarding HEATHEN BREEDERS VIA SPERM DONOR EXPONENTIALS from womb to tomb like the DUGGARs the psychos; andthe illegal Octopsycho; and kate n jon can't get enough attn--their kids worn glasses since 2 yrs of age.
on and on welfare.
NO ONE SHOULD GET A TAX DEDUCTION or WELFARE after two babies...should we kill all the animals, the bats and bees are being wiped of Planet Earth. Since we have been invaded in the USA by 2-leggeds so have our environment, animal habitats, and bird paths for flight annually and each season...
Hope there is life on other Planets and there must be smarter than ours...because our is being run by the E X T R E M E S as greedy selfish, unconscionable deceptive liars...
and self-perpetuating government needs those breeders so they can build public housing and charge the working contributin diminishing US Citizens of Generations as taxpayers...and for their lush-retired-on-theJ-O-B do nothing but giveaway the USA!!
EVIL vs One Nation Under GOD
We are no longer worthy of our blessings...Harbinger warned direct from G O D ...the hour glass is running...
Perhaps the greatest endangered species of all is the intelligent Republican.
Is the human race worth saving?
Does this mean hoopsnakes still survive in the wild?
Did "Obama's re-election hopes" make the list?
I can't wait untel the evil repukes and christians kill all of ( their God's creation) living things. It will not make the end of the world it just showing how evil Christians and their so called god is. =)
Their trying to bring a temperary end of the world situation to attact converts. Church numbers are falling more then every in recorded history it is the only hope they have to hold some of their old power.
Christians have become the great instigators.
Modern Homo sapiens and our hominid ancestors are either directly or indirectly responsible for the extinction of almost every species of megafauna or lesser creatures since the Pleistocene epoch(Ice Age). There are far too many species to list;however, the Barbary and Cape lions which were hunted to extinction as well as the Caspian tiger would be a good start. Their extinctions alone were the result of mans' inherent greed and penchant for ''sport.'' There were also countless species of docile creatures, e.g. Carolina paraquet, Great auk,etc which also fell victim for the same reasons.
Once again, it's all about people, obviously superior enough to inherit the earth with no thought to the rightd of other species to exist. Who are we to judge whether something can live based on what it does for us? Can you imagine how soulless and boring the world would be without other kinds of life that are simply beautiful and interesting?
We're not the whole show. We may be able to do things other kinds of animals can't but that doesn't make us, by default, entitled to sweep away anything that interferes with our supremacy. Human-centric Earth has become polluted, filled with war, famine, and every kind of ugliness that can be imagined. And, if we're to believe the news, it's worsening. Shouldn't there be acknowledgement, appreciation and humility involved with our species? Shouldn't we see ourselves as stewards of life of all kinds rather than exterminators of those things that, God forbid, annoy us?
Imagine the world as it was--clear skies, drinkable water, no reality t.v. clogging up the airwaves?
To be human, really human, is to care about all species, to be responsible and share this rare place, enjoy the gifts and joy that other life forms provide.
People are not an endangered species so this particular conversation should have been kept more to the point. To care about animals DOES NOT mean one doesn't care about humans. Why must everything be made into "either-or"? Believe it or not, large numbers of people are actually able to do both.
Another reason why humanity is doomed. We think doing something like this is "to expensive" yet, we spend 3 billion a day worldwide on wars, to kill people... Such a shame.. I wish I could go to a new planet...
Oh my they these beautiful animals are all so beautiful and deserve a life they share this planet with us! man breeds like rats and has no conscious for the most part our leaders are liars and sociopaths who worship money and power. These beautiful creatures are just trying to survive their intellect is often over looked even a fungus could hold the key to a medical miracle! Our jobs are to work together for all life, to share, to end war, war is the number one problem, next to religious intolerance. Please people help today to save these 100 species go to care2, oneorg and sign and create petitions already the last rhino gone from vietnam and now almost aol the vietnam elephants both special species that evolved there, their dna was not even collected! please stop over breeding of people who live in struggle uneducation fear and poverty fire your leaders look at what successful countries have done! they protect all life turn to tourism and people own the companies they work at and they have eliminated over taxation and do not support war! India has no national debt! usa is no longer a powerful nation just a senseless corporation pray for these animals sign a petition care2
I can't believe our world has come to a place that anything else has to have "obvious economic value to mankind" in order to be deemed worthy of existence. Something is very, very wrong.
I opine that it takes a lot of hate to state that just because 99% of the past beings became extinct, then to hell with the next 99% out of today's menagerie.
if the animal's could just figure out a way to get rid of us they'd be just fine.
I cant believe what i'm reading,it is quite clear that a lot of you have no sense whatsoever,these are animals they cant defend themselves for the most part.I wish most of these people who commented here would be on the extinct list-or the worlds most stupidest list.It angers me to read such naive statements from people.IT IS OUR JOB TO PROTECT THESE CREATURES.
this question is stupid and can only come from a naive human. We humans claim to be the most advanced species in the universe. how is this possible when we are the only species that is responsible for all ills in this world; we pollute, we kill, we lie, we torture, we dstroy, we abuse, we make war etc I could go on and on and on; the world would function pretty well and in harmony without any humans; maybe it is high time that nature will teach us humans a lesson and destroy all of us in order for nauture to be able to flourish like it was intendeed in the first place.
Othmar Brunner