© Thomson Reuters Venus flytrap on display at the Dejate Atrapar (Get Caught) carnivorous plant exhibit in Bogotá.By Brad Brooks
(Reuters) - A leading conservation research group has found that 40% of animals and 34% of plants in the United States are at risk of extinction, while 41% of ecosystems are at risk of collapse.
Everything from crabs and cacti to iconic American species like freshwater mussels and the Venus flytrap are threatened with extinction, according to a report Monday.
NatureServe, which analyzes data from its network of more than 1,000 scientists in the United States and Canada, says the report is the most comprehensive, synthesizing five decades of data on animal, plant and ecosystem health.
Importantly, the report identifies areas in the United States where soil is at risk and where animals and plants are most at risk.
Sean O'Brien, president of NatureServe, said the report's findings were "horrific" and hoped they would help lawmakers understand the urgency of securing measures like the Restore American Wildlife Act in Congress last year for adoption.
"If we are to preserve the biodiversity we enjoy today, we need to target the places where biodiversity is most at risk," O'Brien said. "This report allows us to do that."
U.S. Representative Don Baer, a Democrat who has proposed legislation to create a wildlife corridor system to rebuild threatened populations of fish, wildlife and plants, said NatureServe is helping authorities to identify areas that need to be prioritized and where migration routes should be organized. it will be important
"The data reported by Natureserve is a grim and sad sign of the real problems facing wildlife and our ecosystems," Baer told Reuters. "I thank them for their efforts, which will advance efforts to protect biodiversity."
human profession
Endangered species include icons like the carnivorous Venus flytrap, which is found in the wild only in a few counties in North and South Carolina.
About half of all cactus species are threatened with extinction, while 200 tree species, including the maple oak found in Arkansas, are also threatened with extinction. Among ecosystems, America's vast temperate and boreal prairies were the hardest hit, with more than half of the 78 prairies at risk of collapse.
© Thomson Reuters Endangered key deer pictured in a pond after Hurricane Irma on Big Pine Key, FloridaThreats to plants, animals and ecosystems are diverse, according to the report, but include "habitat destruction and land conversion, invasive species, damming and river pollution, and climate change."
According to the report, California, Texas and the southeastern United States have the highest percentages of endangered plants, animals and ecosystems.
These areas are among the most biodiverse in the country, but also where populations have increased in recent decades and where human interference with nature has been enormous, explains Wesley Knapp, Natureserve's chief botanist.
© Thomson Reuters An endangered Arizona porcupine cactus has been spotted at the Oak Flats Recreation Area outside Superior, ArizonaKnapp points out the threat to plants, which typically receive less conservation funding than animals. NatureServe has about 1,250 plants in the critically endangered category, the final stage before extinction, which means conservationists need to decide where to spend the least amount of money to keep even the most endangered species from going extinct.
“This means that many plants are not given conservation attention. We're almost in triage mode trying to maintain our natural systems," Knapp said.
"natural savings account"
Vivian Negron-Ortiz, president of the Botanical Society of America and a botanist at the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who was not involved in the Natureserve report, said scientists still don't know much and have yet to find the biodiversity. in the United States, and data from NatureServe helped explain the darkness.
He saw the new data primarily as a call to action.
"This report shows the need for public support to prevent the loss of many of our plant species," he said. "Communities can help by finding and connecting with local organizations that are actively working to protect wild places and conserve endangered species."
John Canter, chief wildlife biologist at the National Wildlife Fund, said information in the report, which did not include him, is critical to guiding state and local agencies on what they need to do to develop an effective National Wildlife Action Plan ( SWAP). . It receives federal funds to protect endangered species every 10 years.
Currently, $50 million in federal funds is being split among all states for SWAPs and their ecosystems, Kanter said, and the NatureSave report can serve as a roadmap. It's better if officials spend their money.
© Thomson Reuters A full moon rises over a cactus in Phoenix“Our biodiversity and its conservation is like a 'nature savings account' and unless we have a record of what's there, how it's changing and what the threats are, there's no way to prioritize into action,” Canter said. . "That's why this new report is so important."
© Thomson Reuters The endangered blackish gopher frog, a medium-sized dusky frog with gray spots on its back and belly, is shown in this photo.Learn more:
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(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Additional reporting by Julio-Cesar Chavez in Washington; Editing by Lisa Schumacher)
