What are endangered plants?
Endangered (EN) species are considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. For a species to be considered endangered by the IUCN it must meet certain quantitative criteria which are designed to classify taxa facing a very high risk of extinction. An endangered species is an organism, such as a plant, fungus, microbe or animal, that is threatened by extinction. Species become endangered for two main reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation. A loss of habitat can happen naturally.Species are classified into one of nine Red List Categories: Extinct, Extinct in the Wild, Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, Near Threatened, Least Concern, Data Deficient and Not Evaluated. Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered species are considered to be threatened with extinction.The list of animals that will be extinct by 2050 includes iconic creatures, such as lions, elephants, and pandas. In this article, I’ll take a closer look at these animals and discover why they risk disappearing from our planet forever. It’s truly staggering how many animal species are currently critically endangered!
Which of the big 5 are endangered?
Although poaching and environmental pressures threaten all of The Big Five animals, there are differences in conservation status among them. Rhinos are critically endangered, whereas lions, elephants, and leopards are vulnerable and Cape Buffalo are the least threatened. The “Big 5” animals are the lion, leopard, African elephant, rhinoceros, and Cape buffalo. They are the most sought-after wildlife on African safaris. You’ll find them across national parks and game reserves in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and beyond.