20 per cent of world’s invertebrates, are now endangered

Zoological Society of London (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

International Union for Conservation of Nature logo in 2007, before “World Conservation Union” was dropped as an official name. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Invertebrates, the key monitors of the health of habitats, are – still – in trouble … When will those with backbone – us – ever learn?  Your thoughts here or at NAEEUK

A startling 20 per cent of world’s invertebrates, including insects and worms, are now endangered. The Independent’s Michael McCarthy reports

One-fifth of the world’s

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, “the little things that run the world,” may be heading for extinction, according to the Zoological Society of London.

The society (ZSL) suggests that about 20 per cent of the world’s insects, spiders, worms, crustaceans, molluscs and other animals without backbones are endangered, for reasons ranging from pollution and over-harvesting to the effect of invasive species.

The report, entitled “Spineless”, and produced in conjunction with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which compiles the Red List of threatened species, is the first attempt at estimating the global conservation status of invertebrates.

Read the full article at Learn From Nature by Henricus Peters, NAEE Co-Chair