Real causes of extinction:
Evolution via UNnatural selection:

survival of the least polluted is the real world scenario.
. . . .


Quotes:
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Pollution, habitat destruction, disease threaten important species.
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The declaration responds to findings in the 2004 Global Amphibian Assessment that nearly a third of the world's amphibians are in serious trouble, with dramatic declines since the 1980s signaling one of the worst of current extinction crises.

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 1,856 of the 5,743 known amphibian species – almost one in three – are threatened with extinction. By comparison, one in eight birds face a similar level of threat, as do one in four mammals.
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http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/di...wf-latest.html

Headlines:

Global Warming Threatens Biodiversity In Australia's Wet Tropics (July 25, 2006) -- Global climate change will pose serious challenges for wildlife populations around the world in the coming decades. The findings of Dr. Stephen Williams (Centre for Tropical Biodiversity & Climate ...

Direct Link Established Between Tropical Tree And Insect Diversity (July 25, 2006) -- Higher tree species diversity leads directly to higher diversity of leaf-eating insects, researchers report. Understanding the drivers of the high diversity in tropical forests has been a major ...

Wild Bees And The Flowers They Pollinate Are Disappearing Together (July 22, 2006) -- The diversity of bees and of the flowers they pollinate, has declined significantly in Britain and the Netherlands over the last 25 years according to research led by the....


http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/pla...ls/extinction/

Maybe the next intelligent life that evolves here will be more polite.

__________________
Life is like a box of chocolates. All of your choices are bad for you.

Maybe. But, the next generation seems more prone to A.D.D.

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Coral Reef Bleaching

by Jason Buchheim
Director, Odyssey Expeditions
http://www.marinebiology.org/coralbleaching.htm

"Coral bleaching events have been increasing in both frequency and extent worldwide in the past 20 years. Global climate change may play a role in the increase in coral bleaching events, and could cause the destruction of major reef tracts and the extinction of many coral species."

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The flip problem to extinction is an "outbreak" of an undesirable species like the crown of thorn STARFISH:
http://www.reeffutures.org/topics/cots.cfm

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With extinction issues increasingly wide-spread, where does one start?

Maybe, it's best to look locally. I'll see what the issues are around Southeast Michigan,,,,,,,,,,,,,

oh that would be such a pleasant change of pace...

Desert rose
Dreamed I saw a desert rose
Dress torn in ribbons
And in bows
Like a siren she calls (to me)

http://www.state.mi.us/orr/emi/admin...pt=NR&RngHigh=

On Michigan's endagered list is the
Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus) Bald eagle
but I have seen them even around metro-Detroit!

QUOTED from above source:
Mammals.
Rule 7. (1) The following species of mammals are included on the state
list of endangered species:
(A) Felis concolor Linnaeus Cougar
(B) Lynx canadensis Kerr Lynx
(C) Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner) Prairie vole
(D) Myotis sodalis Miller and Allen Indiana bat
(2) The following species of mammals are included on the state list
of threatened species:
(A) Canis lupus Linnaeus Gray wolf
(B) Cryptotis parva (Say) Least shrew

(I don't know one bat from the next.)
I like the bats though, since they eat mosquitos.
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Good news.
The firefly population is healthy this year in my neck of the wood.

Here's the authority
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
this is the basics
http://www.iucnredlist.org/info/tables/table1 (note 2006 columns)

Actually the planet has been significantly warmer for much of its past then it has been in the last 2 to 4 thousand years... so while global warming may threaten us, there will probably be plenty of new species to fill the empty nitches we leave behind and the real estate will be just find.

Thanks for the links.

Paco the Cat encouraged me to look up the tiger info as he's sitting on my lap.

Here's a link that I found from yours.

Tiger supplies
http://www.traffic.org/tigers/executivesummary.html

Are products tiger in name only??

http://www.tigerbalm.co.uk/intro.html

"Tiger Balm's unique formulation contains camphor, menthol, cajuput oil and clove oil."

Thankfully, there's no tiger in tiger balm.

And the site claims to protect tigers, environments, etc...
http://www.tigerbalm.co.uk/intro.html