10,027 bird species - 1240 facing extinction

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has just published its 2010 Red List update which shows that 1,240 of the world's 10,027 species are on the brink of extinction. That's 1/8 of the world's bird species that are now facing the imminent extinction possibility. The IUCN Red List is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. The most recent bird species to be declared extinct is the Alaotra Grebe from Madagascar. It's hard enough bringing these dire facts to the attention of the world, but it's especially so with disasters like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. And which is more important? They are equally important, of course, optics notwithstanding. Instead of embracing biodiversity, perhaps we need to take a holistic approach and embrace bio-unity. A good start, if you're interested (and you should be), is the IUCN website: http://www.iucn.org/.