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Rarest Animals in the World
RAISING AWARENESS
THE BASICS
How much diversity of life is on this Earth?
According to the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), humans know about an estimated 1,562,663 different life forms on this planet. This includes:
5,416 mammals
16,000 mushrooms or fungi
29,300 fish
950,000 insects
287,655 plants
A species can be a mammal, a tree, a coral, a fungus, an insect, a sponge or any one of a number of life forms.
They can be found in near-to boiling water, sulphurous sludge, frozen wastelands, underground rivers, spiny forests, perilous cliffs or living almost all their life in mid-air.
Together we and they make up life on this planet.
And altogether we call this range and breadth of life 'biodiversity'.
WWF's mission is make sure we don't lose this marvellous array of life, this biodiversity.
The Basics
World Wild Life
http://www.worldwildlife.org
Critically Endangered: A species facing extremelyhigh risk of extinction in the wild
Endangered .A speciesconsidered to be facing a very high risk of entinction in the world.
Vulnerable: A species considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the world.
Terms
Overview
of the Issue
What is a flagship species?
A flagship species is a species selected to act as an ambassador, icon or symbol for a defined habitat, issue, campaign or environmental cause.
By focusing on, and achieving conservation of that species, the status of many other species which share its habitat – or are vulnerable to the same threats - may also be improved.
Flagship species are usually relatively large, and considered to be 'charismatic' in western cultures.
Flagship species may or may not be keystone species and may or may not be good indicators of biological process.
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Keystone Species
A keystone species is a species that plays an essential role in the structure, functioning or productivity of a habitat or ecosystem at a defined level (habitat, soil, seed dispersal, etc).
Disappearance of such species may lead to significant ecosystem change or dysfunction which may have knock on effects on a broader scale. Examples include the elephant's role in maintaining habitat structure, and bats and insects in pollination.
By focussing on keystone species, conservation actions for that species may help to preserve the structure and function of a wide range of habitats which are linked with that species during its life cycle.
Indicator Species
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What is an indicator species?
An indicator species is a species or group of species chosen as an indicator of, or proxy for, the state of an ecosystem or of a certain process within that ecosystem.
Examples include crayfish as indicators of freshwater quality; corals as indicators of marine processes such as siltation, seawater rise and sea temperature fluctuation; peregrine falcons as an indicator of pesticide loads; or native plants as indicators for the presence and impact of alien species.