Nearly one third of all cactus species are threatened by extinction
The fifth most threatened species in the world is not a bird or mammal, but the the cactus plant, which is found largely in the American Southwest, according to a study published Tuesday.
The fifth most threatened species in the world is not a bird or mammal, but the the cactus plant, which is found largely in the American Southwest, according to a study published Tuesday.
Forget the whales 鈥� at least for a moment 鈥� there's another highly threatened species that doesn't get nearly as much attention.
A new study describes cactus as being among the "most threatened species," more so than mammals or birds because 31 percent of cactus species are near extinction. Cactus are the fifth most-threatened species in the world, according to a global survey of threatened species published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Tuesday in the journal Nature Plants.
The study blames the current cactus decline on cattle ranching and illegal trade in cacti, which range from the stately saguaro of the Southwest to the mistletoe cactus 鈥� the only species not found in the Americas.
"The results of this assessment come as a shock to us," lead author Barbara Goettsch said in a release by the University of Exeter. "We did not expect cacti to be so highly threatened and for illegal trade to be such an important driver of their decline."
The news is disturbing, Inger Andersen, IUCN's director general told Reuters.
"They confirm that the scale of the illegal wildlife trade, including trade in plants, is much greater than we had previously thought," Ms. Andersen.
The cactus is certainly not the cuddliest on the list of threatened species, but it has a direct impact on America's ecosystems. The Chihuahuan Desert of the Southwest is home to a full quarter of the cactus species in the world. But while Arizona in particular has taken careful measures to protect the iconic cactus, the plants suffer from landscaping enthusiasts and all-out cactus theft. As 海角大神 reported back in 2003:
This report contains material from Reuters.