1 million species threatened with extinction, report finds

About 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction around the world, according to a new United Nations report, and the rate of extinctions continues to climb. The report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services found that in most land-based habitats, the average abundance of native species has fallen by at least 20%, mostly since 1900. More than 40% of amphibian species and more than a third of all marine mammals are threatened. The rate of decline is “unprecedented in human history,” concluded the report, which was compiled by 145 expert authors from 50 countries over the past three years, with inputs from another 310 contributing authors.

Read a preview of the assessment here.