Table Mountain frog under threat

Information & Discussions on Table Mountain National Park
Post Reply
User avatar
Sprocky
Posts: 7121
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:29 pm
Country: South Africa
Location: Grietjie Private Reserve
Contact:

Table Mountain frog under threat

Post by Sprocky »

2012-09-14 10:00

Cape Town - The Table Mountain ghost frog is one of four South African species are on the list of 100 most endangered species in the world, it was reported on Friday.

The Cape Times reported that the Table Mountain ghost frog, the geometric tortoise, the estuarine pipefish and the wild yam were likely to become extinct because they provided no obvious benefit to humans.

Table Mountain was the only place in the world where ghost frogs occurred. Only 200 wild yam were left in Mpumalanga.

The findings formed part of a list released by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the ZSL London Zoo, at the World Conservation Congress in South Korea.

The list was reportedly compiled by more than 8 000 scientists who gathered for the first time to identify the most threatened animals, plants and fungi.

In a report issued at the Rio+20 world summit in June, the IUCN said that out of 63 837 species it had assessed, 19 817 run the risk of extinction.

At threat are 41% of amphibian species, 33% of reef-building corals, 25% of mammals, 20% of plants and 13% of birds, the update of the prestigious "Red List" said.

Many are essential for humans, providing food and work and a gene pool for better crops and new medicines, it said.

Experts say that only a fraction of Earth's millions of species, many of them microscopic, has been formally identified.


- SAPA


Sometimes it’s not until you don’t see what you want to see, that you truly open your eyes.
User avatar
Toko
Posts: 26619
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:29 pm
Country: -

Re: Table Mountain frog under threat

Post by Toko »

The report, called Priceless or Worthless?, was presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in South Korea. For the first time ever, more than 8,000 scientists from the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) have come together to identify 100 of the most threatened animals, plants and fungi on the planet. But conservationists fear they’ll be allowed to die out because none of these species provide humans with obvious benefits.

Read the book online


Post Reply

Return to “Table Mountain National Park”