The world’s hundred most endangered species have been named by conservationists.
Tarzan’s chameleon, the spoon-billed sandpiper and the pygmy three-toed sloth top the new list of the species closest to extinction.
More than 8,000 scientists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) have identified animals, plants and fungi on the planet that are facing the severest threat.
Conservationists fear they will be allowed to die out because none provide humans with obvious benefits.
Professor Jonathan Baillie, the Zoological Society of London director of conservation, said: “The donor community and conservation movement are leaning increasingly towards a ‘what can nature do for us’ approach, where species and wild habitats are valued and prioritised according to the services they provide for people.
This has made it increasingly difficult for conservationists to protect the most threatened species. While the utilitarian value of nature is important, conservation goes beyond this. Do these species have a right to survive or do we have a right to drive them to extinction?”
The report Priceless or Worthless? will be presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in South Korea tomorrow.