800 species gone, 800 going
This is the first estimate I’ve found on the number of recent extinctions:
According to the World Conservation Union, almost 800 species have become extinct since 1500, when accurate historical and scientific records began.
I can’t imagine that this or the estimate of 794 species currently at risk of extinction are very well substantiated (are microbe species included?), but if I had to bet I’d guess they fall short of the truth. The article argues for more protected habitat. As a nature lover I don’t oppose this, but I also don’t get too excited about humans becoming the proprietors of too many of the species we threaten. My best hope is that we’ll learn that biodiversity pays better long term dividends than immediate exploitation of other species’ habitat.
