May 2, 2006 — The number of threatened animal and plant species has exceeded 16,000 for the first time, a new environmental report said Tuesday.

The 16,119 species facing extinction largely due to the deterioration of their natural habitat include hippopotamus, polar bears, desert gazelles, species of freshwater fish and Mediterranean flowers, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) said in its biannual "Red List" of threatened species.

The endangered species include one quarter of the worlds coniferous trees, one in eight bird species and one in four mammals, the report said.
The 2006 IUCN Red List shows a clear trend: biodiversity loss is increasing, not slowing down," said Achim Steiner, director general of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

The decline highlighted "the impact mankind is having upon life on earth," the IUCN said in the report, which provides a measure of the road towards an international target of significantly reducing biodiversity loss by 2010.

Steiner said positive action of the kind that has helped the Mekong Catfish in South-east Asia, Indian vultures and the white tailed eagle in Europe could make a difference.

"Biodiversity cannot be saved by environmentalists alone — it must become the responsibility of everyone with the power and resources to act," he explained. "To succeed on a global scale, we need new alliances across all sectors of society."

A total of 40,177 species are assessed in the IUCN Red List.

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