Twenty per cent of vertebrates facing extinction: study

If you’ve got a backbone, you could be in trouble.

A comprehensive global study called the Red List has found that one fifth of the world’s vertebrates are in danger of becoming extinct, but that conservation efforts have helped slow the decline in biodiversity by 20 per cent. The study was unveiled at a UN biodiversity summit in Japan. At least 41 per cent of amphibians are facing extinction, largely as a result of a deadly fungus. Thirteen per cent of birds made the Red List. The main threats pushing species to the brink are the effects of agriculture and other, invasive species. Each year 50 more species move closer to extinction, the report found.