rhacodactylarium
Well-Known Member
Parece que nuestros queridos rhacos entran de nuevo en las listas de catatogacion de especies en peligro,de momento catalogado como vulnerable.
Gaps in the Red List
The Crested Gecko (Rhacodactylus ciliatus) has a restricted distribution and only occurs in Grand Terre and Ile des Pins, New Caledonia. This nocturnal gecko has been assessed as Vulnerable. The main threat within its range is habitat loss associated with logging, wildfires and the clearance of forests for agriculture. Predation by rodents and the impact of the introduced ant Wasmannia auropunctata are other potential threats to the Crested Gecko. Monitoring of the current population and measures to control impacts of invasive species are needed. Photo by: Tony Whitaker.
The IUCN Red List's assessments are heavily weighted toward more well-known species whose statuses are easier to determine. For example, while the Red List has only assessed 3 percent of the world's described species, it has assessed 100 percent of the world's birds and mammals, and 93 percent of the world's amphibians.
Two other groups of vertebrates—reptiles and fish—have not had such a complete assessment. Only 32 percent of the world's known reptiles have been assessed, and 29 percent of the world's fish.
However, non-vertebrates are even more lacking in assessment. In all, only 1 percent of the world's invertebrates have been assessed: from 39 percent of the world's corals to 0.03 percent of the world's spiders. Researchers have assessed over 3,000 insects, the most numerous life forms described on Earth, but this is only 0.3 percent of the world's known insects.
Plants fare slightly better. In total 5 percent of the world's described plants have been assessed by the IUCN Red List, but very few algae or mosses.
Fungi are the least assessed of all: there are over 30,000 known mushrooms, but only one has been assessed by the Red List.
The reason for the gaps are twofold. On the one hand the lesser-known the species the more difficult it is to assess. On the other hand, is the practical lack of funding. Last year researchers said it would take $60 million dollars to triple the number of species now assessed, thereby creating a true 'barometer of biodiversity'. Such funding would allow researchers to assess an additional 35,000 vertebrates, 38,000 invertebrates, 25,000 plants, and 14,500 fungi and other species. While $60 million may sound like a lot, it's just over 1 percent of how much the US continues to spend on subsidies for big oil companies.
"It is extremely important that we keep pushing forward with surveys of little-known species, as without adequate data, we cannot determine their risk of extinction and therefore cannot develop or implement effective conservation actions which could prevent the species from disappearing altogether," explains Jane Smart, Director, IUCN’s Global Species Program.
Currently, much of the work for the IUCN Red List is done by volunteers, given the dearth of funding.
Current estimations from the IUCN Red List indicate that extinction rates are currently happening 100-1,000 times more than the natural rate as determined by fossils. Many scientists believe we heading into a period of mass extinction—the sixth on Earth—only this time it is due wholly to one species' activities. From deforestation to climate change, pollution to wildlife consumption, invasive species to habitat destruction, humans are driving massive changes to the world's biodiversity.
http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0616-hance_iucn_redlist_2011.html
Gaps in the Red List
The Crested Gecko (Rhacodactylus ciliatus) has a restricted distribution and only occurs in Grand Terre and Ile des Pins, New Caledonia. This nocturnal gecko has been assessed as Vulnerable. The main threat within its range is habitat loss associated with logging, wildfires and the clearance of forests for agriculture. Predation by rodents and the impact of the introduced ant Wasmannia auropunctata are other potential threats to the Crested Gecko. Monitoring of the current population and measures to control impacts of invasive species are needed. Photo by: Tony Whitaker.
The IUCN Red List's assessments are heavily weighted toward more well-known species whose statuses are easier to determine. For example, while the Red List has only assessed 3 percent of the world's described species, it has assessed 100 percent of the world's birds and mammals, and 93 percent of the world's amphibians.
Two other groups of vertebrates—reptiles and fish—have not had such a complete assessment. Only 32 percent of the world's known reptiles have been assessed, and 29 percent of the world's fish.
However, non-vertebrates are even more lacking in assessment. In all, only 1 percent of the world's invertebrates have been assessed: from 39 percent of the world's corals to 0.03 percent of the world's spiders. Researchers have assessed over 3,000 insects, the most numerous life forms described on Earth, but this is only 0.3 percent of the world's known insects.
Plants fare slightly better. In total 5 percent of the world's described plants have been assessed by the IUCN Red List, but very few algae or mosses.
Fungi are the least assessed of all: there are over 30,000 known mushrooms, but only one has been assessed by the Red List.
The reason for the gaps are twofold. On the one hand the lesser-known the species the more difficult it is to assess. On the other hand, is the practical lack of funding. Last year researchers said it would take $60 million dollars to triple the number of species now assessed, thereby creating a true 'barometer of biodiversity'. Such funding would allow researchers to assess an additional 35,000 vertebrates, 38,000 invertebrates, 25,000 plants, and 14,500 fungi and other species. While $60 million may sound like a lot, it's just over 1 percent of how much the US continues to spend on subsidies for big oil companies.
"It is extremely important that we keep pushing forward with surveys of little-known species, as without adequate data, we cannot determine their risk of extinction and therefore cannot develop or implement effective conservation actions which could prevent the species from disappearing altogether," explains Jane Smart, Director, IUCN’s Global Species Program.
Currently, much of the work for the IUCN Red List is done by volunteers, given the dearth of funding.
Current estimations from the IUCN Red List indicate that extinction rates are currently happening 100-1,000 times more than the natural rate as determined by fossils. Many scientists believe we heading into a period of mass extinction—the sixth on Earth—only this time it is due wholly to one species' activities. From deforestation to climate change, pollution to wildlife consumption, invasive species to habitat destruction, humans are driving massive changes to the world's biodiversity.
http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0616-hance_iucn_redlist_2011.html
