This month, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) released their annual Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN assessed over 40,000 species of animals and plants. Globally, the number of threatened species has increased by more than 50 percent in the last decade to 16,119. Nearly 600 new species were identified as threatened in this assessment, and more than 800 species have now been officially declared as extinct in the wild.

The latest Red List demonstrates that humans, either directly or indirectly, are the principal cause of the rapid decline of species. Global warming, poaching, habitat loss, and unsustainable fishing practices are having significant impacts on species such as the polar bear, pygmy hippopotamus, dama gazelle, giant devilray, and angel shark. All of these charismatic animals have been reclassified into categories closer to extinction in 2006. Less well-known organisms, including many species of freshwater fish and amphibians, have dramatically reduced in number.

"The 2006 IUCN Red List shows a clear trend: biodiversity loss is increasing, not slowing down. The implications of this trend for the productivity and resilience of ecosystems and the lives and livelihoods of billions of people who depend on them are far-reaching."

-- Achim Steiner, Director General of the World Conservation Union (IUCN)

Conservation practices have helped several species recover from endangered status, but concerted and enhanced efforts to protect biodiversity are required to preserve species and maintain natural ecosystems.