1 million plant, animal species face extinction: UN

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) – About 1 million species of plants and animals are at risk of extinction with human activity contributing to the threats to nature, according to a UN report Monday.

The report drew global attention because it is the first comprehensive UN report on biodiversity.

“An average of around 25 percent of species in assessed animal and plant groups are threatened, suggesting that around 1 million species already face extinction, many within decades, unless action is taken to reduce the intensity of drivers of biodiversity loss,” said the report compiled by 145 experts from 50 countries.

Human actions threaten more species with global extinction more than ever based on the systematic review of about 15,000 scientific and government sources, it said.

The report highlighted the increasing rate of global change in nature during the past 50 years and contended that land-use change has the most negative impact on nature since 1970, followed by the direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution and invasive species.

Armed conflicts also negatively affect the ecosystem and have indirect impacts such as displacement of people.

“In the past 50 years, the human population has doubled, the global economy has grown nearly 4-fold and global trade has grown 10-fold, together driving up the demands for energy and materials,” according to the report.

It added that nature can be conserved, restored and used sustainably with collective action for transformative changes across economic, social, political and technological factors.