Rebecca has been working at FFI since September 2007. Though she studied conservation in her BA and MSc, she decided that the life in the jungle just wasn't for her. Having grown up in New York City, she has experienced more pigeons and squirrels than parrots and spider monkeys. So she decided to write about the impact that FFI's projects have on the ground.
Her current role as Communications Officer (Business & Biodiversity) has allowed her to focus her energy towards FFI's innovative Business & Biodiversity Programme. Rebecca helps to get the message out about FFI's strategic corporate partnerships and what they have helped to achieve for global biodiversity.
FFI was not surprised to hear the devastating statistics released by the IUCN today. The updated threatened species list shows that 36% of the 47,677 plants and animals assessed are at risk of becoming extinct.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of plants and animal species. The list assesses the risk of extinction of a species if no conservation action is taken.
“The scientific evidence of a serious extinction crisis is mounting,” said Jane Smart, Director of IUCN’s Biodiversity Conservation Group.
21% of all known mammals, 30% of all known amphibians, and 28% percent of reptiles are either endangered or critically endangered. These are shocking figures.
But it’s not too late – we CAN turn back the tide for these species on the brink of extinction.
Case in point is the world’s rarest cat species– the Iberian lynx – listed as Critically Endangered on the new list. Only around 200 individuals are left in the wild. However, just last week the first of what is hoped to be 16 lynxes was moved from a Spanish breeding centre to one in Portugal in a bid to save the species.
FFI and our partner Liga Para A Protecção Da Natureza are together successfully protecting Iberian lynx habitat in Portugal. It is hoped that reintroduction of captive bred lynx into the wild can help to re-establish the species in Portugal – throwing the species a vital lifeline for survival.
The lynx is just one of many species on the Red List that FFI is working hard to protect. Others include the cao vit gibbon, white-whiskered spider monkey, African wild dog, saiga antelope and the Antiguan racer snake.
Please consider supporting FFI in our crucial species conservation work. Our projects have proven to be extremely effective in reducing threats to endangered species.
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