A new report has found that one-third of wildlife species in the United States are at increased risk of extinction, with everything from butterflies and fish to large mammals facing threats.
According to the latest estimates, roughly 500 species once found in the country have not been seen in decades, and are now feared extinct.
‘America’s wildlife are in crisis and now is the time for unprecedented on-the-ground collaboration,’ said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation.
‘Fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates are all losing ground. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to prevent these species from vanishing from the earth.
‘Recovering wildlife is a win-in-win: strengthening our economy, improving public health, and making communities more resilient.’
The worrying new figures released by the National Wildlife Federation, the American Fisheries Society and The Wildlife Society are based on status assessments led by NatureServe.
According to the report, over 150 species in the US have gone extinct, and one-third are now facing heightened risks. Freshwater fish, for example, have been hit particularly hard.
The researchers say roughly 40 percent of freshwater fish in the United States are now ‘rare or imperiled.’ And, 70 percent of freshwater mussels in North America are extinct, or in danger of extinction.
Pollinators have been hit hard, too – and not just bees. The report warns monarch butterfly populations have plummeted in the US, dropping by 90 percent in just the last two decades.
Over the same amount of time, 30 percent of North America’s bat species have declined. Bats have been reeling from a fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome, which has killed millions in recent years.
‘Wildlife in America needs help,’ said John McDonald, PhD, president of the Wildlife Society.
‘Species are increasingly at risk in all regions of the country and across all categories of wildlife.
‘This decline is not inevitable. Wildlife professionals in every state have action plans ready to go to conserve all wildlife for future generations, but we need the funding to turn this situation around.’
According to the latest estimates, roughly 500 species once found in the country have not been seen in decades, and are now feared extinct.
‘America’s wildlife are in crisis and now is the time for unprecedented on-the-ground collaboration,’ said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation.
‘Fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates are all losing ground. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to prevent these species from vanishing from the earth.
‘Recovering wildlife is a win-in-win: strengthening our economy, improving public health, and making communities more resilient.’
The worrying new figures released by the National Wildlife Federation, the American Fisheries Society and The Wildlife Society are based on status assessments led by NatureServe.
According to the report, over 150 species in the US have gone extinct, and one-third are now facing heightened risks. Freshwater fish, for example, have been hit particularly hard.
The researchers say roughly 40 percent of freshwater fish in the United States are now ‘rare or imperiled.’ And, 70 percent of freshwater mussels in North America are extinct, or in danger of extinction.
Pollinators have been hit hard, too – and not just bees. The report warns monarch butterfly populations have plummeted in the US, dropping by 90 percent in just the last two decades.
Over the same amount of time, 30 percent of North America’s bat species have declined. Bats have been reeling from a fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome, which has killed millions in recent years.
‘Wildlife in America needs help,’ said John McDonald, PhD, president of the Wildlife Society.
‘Species are increasingly at risk in all regions of the country and across all categories of wildlife.
‘This decline is not inevitable. Wildlife professionals in every state have action plans ready to go to conserve all wildlife for future generations, but we need the funding to turn this situation around.’
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