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I found several articles discussing extinctions and new species.

could 2012 be a shift in the evolutionary path of life on this planet?


It seems that with the 'impending doom" of humanity also comes a new surge in new species...for instance, in the Amazon. Lots of species are becoming extinct due to human invasions of their natural habitats...but with HUMANS always on the brink of killing ourselves and the new species....comes new life...and a new path.

A fifth of the world's vertebrates are facing extinction because of invasion and the effects of agriculture, a global study warned Wednesday.

The number of species facing extinction is rising, according to scientists, but conservation efforts are helping reduce the overall rate.

"The backbone of biodiversity is being eroded," said Edward O. Wilson, a professor and ecologist at Harvard University. "One small step up the Red List is one giant leap forward towards extinction. This is just a small window on the global losses currently taking place."

Scientists launched the study, dubbed the Red List, at the United Nations biodiversity summit in Nagoya, Japan, where talks on protecting the environment are under way.

U.N. summit sends S.O.S. on biodiversity

Thirteen percent of birds qualify to be on the list.

Scientists used data from 25,000 species to study the world's mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish.

"On average, 50 species of mammal, bird and amphibian move closer to extinction each year due to the impacts of agricultural expansion, logging, over-exploitation and invasive alien species," the report says.

The study singled out 64 mammals, birds and amphibian species whose status has improved, including three species once considered extinct that have made a comeback amid conservation efforts. They are the California Condor and the black-footed ferret in the United States, and the Przewalski's horse native to Mongolia.

Southeast Asia had the most losses because of rapid expansion of palm oil farms, timber operations and rice crops, according to the study. A deadly fungus that affects amphibians contributed to losses in parts of Central America, the tropical Andes of South America and Australia.

The study confirms other reports of continued losses in biodiversity.

However, the scientists say it's the first to present evidence of the effects of conservation efforts worldwide.

"Results show that the status of biodiversity would have declined by nearly 20 percent if conservation action had not been taken," the report says.

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AMAZON YIELDS 1,200 NEW SPECIES!!!

More than 1,200 new species of plants and animals have been discovered in the Amazon rainforest over the past decade according to a new report.

"Amazon Alive! A Decade of Discoveries 1999-2009," published Tuesday by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), showcases the extraordinary diversity housed in the world's biggest rainforest which spans eight South American countries.

Six-hundred-and-thirty-seven new species of plant were found during the period, as well as nearly 500 new fish and amphibians, including 24 new poison dart frogs.

A four-meter long anaconda snake -- native to Bolivia and the first of its genus to be identified since 1936 -- was among 55 new reptile species discovered, and a Bolivian river dolphin was one of 39 new species of mammals.

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A brightly colored bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) was one of the highlights of 16 new bird species.

Jim Leape, WWF international director general told CNN: "This is report is really intended to bring home the richness of the Amazon forest and how much is there. The Amazon is the single most important place on Earth for biodiversity -- it holds ten percent of the world's known species."

The list of new discoveries amounts to more than the combined total of new species found in Borneo, the Congo Basin and the Eastern Himalayas during the same time period, the report says.

Nearly one fifth of the Amazon rainforest has been cut down in the past 50 years, Leape says. This is largely due to increased global demand for soya, beef and, more recently, biofuels.

"All of us in the choices we make everyday in our supermarkets are actually part of this picture," Leape said.

"On a more basic level, this is a place that stores perhaps more than 100 billion tons of carbon and it absorbs a lot of the carbon we put into the air. So it's hugely important to the future of the world's climate."

Governments from around the world are currently meeting at the United Nations biodiversity summit in Nagoya, Japan with the aim of setting new targets to stem eco-system loss.

U.N. summit sends S.O.S. on biodiversity

The talks are an important opportunity to "galvanize global action to save nature," Leape says.

"I think what you have in front of 193 countries is a plan for the next ten years that, if acted upon, would really make a difference."

[Jin]

I'm all for preserving the rainforest, species, and new species that aren't human

[URBANXENTITY]

lol