Global News - June 2008

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Report suggests humans have increased extinction rates 10,000 fold

Fri 27 June 2008 14:00 UK — Australasia,Other

A new report has warned that human action means that 10,000 times more animals from tropical areas are becoming extinct than would naturally.

The review from a team at the University of Adelaide was published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

Associate Professor Corey Bradshaw said that tropical forests support more than 60 per cent of all known species but said that the study had found that these areas were being destroyed at a rate of about 15 million hectares per year.

As a result, he said that it was thought that species are being lost at a rate of up to 10,000 times higher than would happen randomly without human actions.

Associate Professor Bradshaw explained: "This is not just about losing tiny species found at the base of big trees in a rain forest few people will ever see, this is about a complete change in ecosystem services that directly benefit human life.

"We need to start valuing forests for all the services they provide, and richer nations should be investing in the maintenance of tropical habitats."

In particular, the scientist said that "a strong multi-lateral policy" was needed to cut corruption in the governments of the nations that are home to the world's tropical forests.

"We need international pressure to ensure appropriate monitoring and accounting systems are in place," Associate Professor Bradshaw concluded.

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