Primates facing extinction
Friday, 26 Oct 2007 13:35
Some primates are facing extinction due to the destruction of their habitats, the report warns
A third of the world's non-human primates face extinction due to the destruction of their habitats and other actions by mankind, a report has warned.
The study completed by wildlife experts says that the illegal trade in wildlife and commercial bushmeat hunting is also contributing to the threat posed to various apes, monkeys and other primates.
It also warns that a failure by mankind to respond to the mounting threats faced by its closest living relatives is being exacerbated by climate change and is likely to result in the first primates becoming extinct for more than a century.
The report, conducted by the World Conservation Union and the International Primatological Society in collaboration with Conservation International, says that 114 of the world's 394 primate species are under threat of extinction.
It presents a list of the world's 25 most-endangered primates, which includes 11 species from Asia, seven types of primate from Africa and three from South America.
The study also warns that all 25 of the primate species at risk of extinction are found in the world's biodiversity "hotspots", 34 regions identified by conservation experts which cover just 2.3 per cent of the Earth's service but feature over 50 per cent of all terrestrial plant and animal diversity.
Commenting on the report Russell Mittermeier, chairman of the World Conservation Union's specialist primate group, said: "You could fit all the surviving members of these 25 species in a single football stadium; that’s how few of them remain on Earth today.
"The situation is worst in Asia, where tropical forest destruction and the hunting and trading of monkeys puts many species at terrible risk. Even newly discovered species are severely threatened from loss of habitat and could soon disappear," he warned