The number of animals and plants at risk of extinction rose in 2015 despite government pledges to improve protection, with species under threat ranging from lions in West Africa to orchids in Asia, a study shows.The Red List of Endangered Species, backed by governments, scientists and conservationists, grew to 22,784 species in 2015.Loss of habitats, such as clearance of forests for farmland, cities or roads, was the main cause of the rise, according to the list compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).Lions in Africa retained an overall listing as "vulnerable," one of the least endangered categories, thanks to conservation in southern Africa. But lions in West Africa were listed in a more severe category as "critically endangered" due to losses of habitat and a decline in prey caused by human hunting.In 2011, almost 200 governments set a goal of preventing the extinction of known species and reducing threats to those most in decline by 2020. No known species went extinct in 2015 but many came closer to the brink.The list said that practically all of the 84 species of tropical Asian slipper orchid, which are prized ornamental flowers, were threatened, mainly because of over-collection and habitat loss.Nine of 17 species from the tea plant family assessed were also endangered because they are used for making tea and medicines or as ornamental plants and firewood.
đang được dịch, vui lòng đợi..