By: D.K Choudhary
Report Finds Over Half of World’s Wild Primate Species Face Extinction
i. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, more than half of the world’s wild species including apes, monkeys, lemurs and lorises are now on the verge of extinction.
ii. 60 percent of primate species are threatened with extinction and about 75 percent have declining populations.
iii. The main reason behind this is agriculture and industrial activities that destroy forest habitats and the animals are hit by hunting and trade.
iv. There is an increase in industrial agriculture, large-scale cattle ranching, logging, oil and gas drilling, mining, dam building and road construction.
v. The illegal trade in bushmeat by killing apes and monkeys for their flesh is also declining the rate of animals.
vi. Primates are very vital part of our ecosystem no matter large or small.
vii. It is very necessary to reduce the demands for tropical hardwoods, beef, palm oil, soy, rubber, minerals and fossil fuels ‘among other goods’, and increase sustainable use of resources for primate conservation.
