The world that we live in is not just the land, the sea and the places portrayed on maps, but the environment, habitats and animals and plants with which we share the planet. If we damage beyond repair these other parts of our world, then our existence will be threatened along with theirs. There are an estimated 8 million species of animals and plants in the world, but scientists have so far named just 1.5 million of them. Many species come and go without our even knowing about them, and during the next 25 years, half a million, known and unknown, will become extinct, that is some 20,000 every year.
Over time, usually millions of years, species either gradually adapt to changes or they die out. But the rate at which they become extinct is accelerating, mainly due to the rapid rise of the human population and the consequent increased demand for resources. Pollution, over-hunting, over-fishing, the introduction of alien species in various parts of the world, and the trade in wildlife all play a part, but the major cause is the destruction of wild habitats for farming, industry, transport and housing. Tropical forests, which contains 75 percent of the world's species, are disappearing fast. Half the world's wetlands have been drained or damaged, and species-rich coral reefs are being destroyed. In Britain, rare snakes and lizards are dying as the few remnants of heathland are being built on. According to the highly-authoritative World Conservation Monitoring Centre, which is part-funded by WWF, there are currently 5,929 threatened animal species. This is made up of 741 mammals, 970 birds, 316 reptiles, 169 amphibians, 979 fishes, and more than 2,700 invertebrates. The IUCN (the World Conservation Union) maintains a classification of threatened species with the following main designations:
1. Extinct: a species that has definitely not been located in the wild during the past 50 years.
2. Endangered: a species which is in danger of extinction and whose survival is unlikely if the factors that are causing the decrease in its numbers continue to operate.
3. Vunerable: a species that is likely to move into the Endangered category if the pressures on it do not change, for example, over-exploitation, extensive destruction of habitat, seriously depleted populations, populations which appear abundant but which are under threat throughout their range.
4. Rare: a species with a small world population which is not presently Endangered or Vunerable, but is at risk.
All species on earth depend on each other to some extent, usually for food. Food chains upon which we all survive are complex and the destruction of one plant species can cause the loss of up to 30 animal species which depend upon it, just one reason why the conservation of wildlife is so important. It has become increasingly clear that species cannot be saved in isolation. They need somewhere secure to feed and breed in order to survive. The emphasis of WWF's work has, therefore, expanded to protect habitats, particularly those areas where the greatest biodiversity, or number of species is found. WWF also believes that efforts to protect species will not be successful in the long run unless those species, whether plants or animals, contribute to the needs of the local people. An increasing number of WWF projects are designed with this in mind. Much of WWF's work still concerns the targeted conservation of individual species, such as the rhino and the tiger. But they go much further than that, because protecting the animal or plant also involves conserving its habitat, campaigning for better wildlife laws, and running environmental education projects. In this section of the Attica Interactive World Atlas you will find examples of habitats, current threats to habitats and wildlife, and information about endangered species, and the projects that are being undertaken to conserve them.
