According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which updated the Red Book, 13 out of 740 bird species that were first added to the list have already become extinct, and 11% are threatened with extinction.
The reason for this was human activity. All extinct species lived on islands and could be destroyed by invasive (introduced by humans) animal species. BirdLife International Coordinator Ian Berfield says that the registration of new species does not mean that they are not in danger - agriculture, deforestation, illegal trade and invasive species are the main threats. It is reported that in some areas the number of the African gray parrot (and this is one of the smartest birds on the planet) has decreased by 99%, the construction of the dam threatens the Antiochian wren, agriculture and invasive plant species - the Comorian wang.
Extinction threatens not only birds - due to loss of habitat, deforestation and poaching, the number of giraffes has decreased from 160 thousand in 1985 to 97.5 thousand in 2015. Thus, there has been a decrease in the population by 40% over 30 years, of the 9 subspecies of this animal, 8 are under threat.
233 species of wild-growing ancestors of cultivated plants are also included in the list - these are wild species of mango, oat, sunflower, asparagus.
Lake Victoria in East Africa is especially noted for its biodiversity - all dragonflies, birds, molluscs and fish that live here were included.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, between 1970 and 2012 the number of wild vertebrates decreased by 58%, and by 2020 this figure may reach 67%.
However, scientists believe that the endangered species can still be saved. Two species that were previously thought to be extinct were re-discovered, with improvements noted for the Azores bullfinch, Seychelles white-eyed and Saint Helena's plover.
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