• Animals

Now Designated Separately, Two African Elephant Species are Facing Extinction

• #30x30
• elephants
• endangered
• International Union for the Conservation of Nature
• IUCN
• red list
• threatened
• World Wildlife Fund
• WWF

Last week the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released a new Red List conservation assessment for African elephants, evaluating the status of both the savanna elephant and the smaller forest elephant. 

Why This Matters: The IUCN Red List currently lists over 35,000 threatened species of plants, animals, insects, and even fungi. A UN report found that one million species could be threatened with extinction in the coming decades due to climate change, illegal poaching and trafficking, and habitat destruction.

• Animals

“Himalayan Viagra” — the World’s Costliest Fungus — Is Added to IUCN Red List

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• fungus
• IUCN
• red list
• threatened species
• viagra

This week Shivani Azad reported in Times of India that the “world’s costliest fungus,” Ophiocordyceps sinensis, was placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species as a “vulnerable” species. The fungus, better known as “Himalayan Viagra,” yields profits on the global market between $5 billion and $11 billion  — in traditional Chinese medicine, it is a panacea for a  wide variety of medical issues, including as an aid to sexual performance.

• Animals

North Atlantic Right Whale and Many Species of Lemurs Now Critically Endangered

• #30x30
• endangered species
• IUCN
• lobster
• red list

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is the global authority when it comes to whether a species is at risk of extinction, yesterday added the North Atlantic Right Whale of the eastern U.S. to its list of Critically Endangered species (elevated from Endangered) that are on the brink of extinction.  The IUCN also “upgraded” 13 different species of lemurs to the Critically Endangered list along with 20 other lemur species at risk of imminent extinction.

Why This Matters:  These species are on the verge of going extinct not because of anything they did, but rather because of us humans.

• Animals

Giraffes Under Consideration for US Endangered Species Listing

• 30 by 30
• endangered species
• extinction
• giraffe
• Global Deal for Nature
• International Fund for Animal Welfare
• IUCN
• red list

As we reported yesterday, biodiversity is declining at a precipitous rate, according to a new study by scientists from across the globe for the United Nations.   In an effort to save one of the most iconic species on the planet —  the African giraffe —  the Fish and Wildlife Service at the Department of Interior is considering listing them on the nation’s endangered species list, which would mean restrictions on the importation into the United States and would also make small amounts of federal funding for giraffe conservation efforts available.