IUCN Warns Nearly 50,000 Species Face Extinction

Nearly 50,000 species are threatened with extinction, according to the latest Red List from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN. Among them are deep-sea animals threatened by seabed mining. Each vent field is actually smaller than a soccer field. And if it gets mined, there will be a lot of plume coming up, and that plume is certainly large enough to cover the entire hydrothermal vent area, which means all the animals will be smothered. And this will cause devastating damage to the entire hydrothermal vent field. The report also highlights South Africa's desert rainfrog, which is also threatened by mining. The IUCN warns that nearly two-thirds of its habitat could be affected over the next two decades. But conservationists say recovery is possible. Australia's numbat has improved from endangered to near-threatened after habitat protection, predator control, and captive breeding programs helped its population rebound.