If you had to guess which countries are losing the greatest number of endangered mammals to extinction, which would you pick? Actually, you don’t have to guess. There’s a new map (below) that will show you, in no uncertain terms, where in the world we’re losing animals the fastest.
The top three “winners” of this unfortunate contest are Indonesia (184), Madagascar (114), Mexico (101), with India following close behind at 94.
The map below comes from information compiled by Eco Experts, using information gathered from the World Bank. The numbers spring starkly to life when presented as an image.
Why are these particular countries losing so many mammals so quickly? It’s a combination of factors. Each location is particularly high in biodiversity. There are vast numbers of animals living in these areas of the world. Indonesia, for example, is the country with the highest number of mammal species at 670. Brazil is second with 648. China follows with 551, and Mexico has 523.
Notice a trend? Lots of animals, but for each of these countries, lots of animal losses as well. This incredible richness of mammal life is no match for the voracious killing machines known as deforestation, habitat destruction and human encroachment. Many species, with no place to live, simply die off.
In some cases, such species exist nowhere else in the world. Eight of 101 threatened mammals in Mexico, for example, will be extinct if they disappear from that country. The same is true for 111 mammals in Madagascar.
Indonesia is a rich rainforested area — the third largest in the world — containing more biological diversity than anywhere else. The Rainforest Action Network notes that even though its land area comprises only 1 percent of the Earth’s surface, Indonesia is home to 12 percent of all mammals, 10 percent of all plant species and 17 percent of all bird species. Among the threats to these animals’ survival is the pulp and paper industry, which is driving extensive rainforest loss.
Madagascar, about the size of Texas, is the world’s fifth largest island. Its lemurs are the single most endangered vertebrate animal on earth. Of 103 lemur species, a staggering 91 percent are considered threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In Mexico, agricultural practices directly threaten nearly half of its 101 endangered species, according to the IUCN. Logging is nearly as bad, followed by human development.
“The most depressing element is that each of these threats are a direct result of human activity and our impact on the natural world,” Jon Whiting of Eco Experts said. “Many of our most beautiful species are just silently slipping away, so it is incredibly important to raise awareness and pressure nations to be more responsible.”
Yes, this crisis is man-made. Of course it is — and the world’s governments must act quickly if it is to stop.
PHOTO CREDIT: Shtterstock.