Tag Archives: Madagascar

Save endangered Madagascar fish

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Mangarahara cichlid male, photo Copyright © ZSL

Mangarahara cichlid female

From Wildlife Extra:

London Zoo launches worldwide appeal to find and save Critically Endangered fish

Male Seeking Female: Must Want Kids

May 2013. Fish experts at ZSL London Zoo have launched an urgent worldwide appeal to find a female mate for the last remaining males of a critically endangered fish species.

Extinct in the wild – Only captive fish are male

The Mangarahara cichlid (Ptychochromis Insolitus) is believed to be extinct in the wild, due to the introduction of dams drying up its habitat of the Mangarahara River in Madagascar, and two of the last known individuals are residing in ZSL London Zoo’s Aquarium. And as if the situation wasn’t dire enough for this tropical fish species, the individuals at ZSL London Zoo are unfortunately both male.

None known in captivity

The Curator of the Aquarium at ZSL London Zoo, Brian Zimmerman, along with colleagues at Zurich Zoo in Switzerland set about trying to find other Mangaraharan cichlids in zoos around the world – using international zoo and aquarium associations to reach as many experts and aquarists as possible, but had no luck finding surviving females.

Desperate appeal

The team at ZSL London Zoo are now launching a desperate appeal for private aquarium owners, fish collectors, and hobbyists to come forward if they have or know of any females in existence, so that a vital conservation breeding programme can be started for the species.

Launching the appeal, ZSL London Zoo’s Brian Zimmerman said: “The Mangarahara cichlid is shockingly and devastatingly facing extinction; its wild habitat no longer exists and as far as we can tell, only three males remain of this entire species. It might be too late for their wild counterparts, but if we can find a female, it’s not too late for the species. Here at ZSL London Zoo we have two healthy males, as well as the facilities and expertise to make a real difference.

“We are urgently appealing to anyone who owns or knows someone who may own these critically endangered fish, which are silver in colour with an orange-tipped tail, so that we can start a breeding programme here at the Zoo to bring them back from the brink of extinction.”

ZSL London Zoo is asking anyone with information about the cichlids to email the team at fishappeal@zsl.org.

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World’s Rarest Birds photo competition winners

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From BirdLife:

The World’s Rarest Birds photo competition winners announced and book launched

Wed, Apr 3, 2013

The winners of the second international photo competition run by The World’s Rarest Birds project have been announced. The competition aimed to secure images of some of the most threatened birds on Earth to complete a new book that highlights their plight. The World’s Rarest Birds, which is published today by Princeton WILDGuides, aims to support BirdLife International’s Preventing Extinctions Programme.

This is the second of two international photo competitions that have been run to obtain the images for the book, the first being in 2010. Thousands of images were entered into the competitions by photographers from across the world and over 800 photos are featured in The World’s Rarest Birds.

The World’s Rarest Birds Photo Competition had two categories: Critically Endangered birds and Endangered birds. The winning entries in each category were as follows:

A displaying White-bellied Cinclodes was the winner in the Critically Endangered Category

White-bellied Cinclodes (Dubi Shapiro)

The Worlds Rarest Birds 2012 Photo Competition CR Category 2ND P

Black-breasted Puffleg (Murray Cooper)

CATEGORY 1: Critically Endangered Birds (there are 197 species that are so threatened that they are considered to be at imminent risk of becoming extinct)

Winner              Dubi Shapiro: a stunning image of a displaying White-bellied Cinclodes from the high Andes of Peru.

Runner-up      Murray Cooper: a beautiful photo of a male Black-breasted Puffleg hummingbird from north-west Ecuador.

Third place      Dubi Shapiro: a fantastic image of a Madagascar Pochard, a medium-sized diving duck found only on Madagascar.

Fourth place   Maxim Koshkin: a striking photo of a flock of Sociable Lapwing, a migratory wader that breeds in central Asia and winters mainly in Africa.

TWRB 2012 Photo Comp EN 1ST PRIZE Marquesan Imperial-pigeon (c) Tim Laman - TheWorldsRarestBirds)

Marquesan Imperial-pigeon (Tim Laman)

TWRB 2012 Photo Comp EN COMMENDED Lulu's Tody-tyrant (c) Pete Morris - TheWorldsRarestBirds)

Commended image of Lulu’s Tody-tyrant (Pete Morris)

CATEGORY 2: Endangered Birds (there are 389 species that are considered to be at very high risk of becoming extinct in the foreseeable future)

Winner              Tim Laman: a beautiful study of a Marquesan Imperial-pigeon from the island of Nuku Hiva in French Polynesia.

Runner-up       David Stowe: a lovely image of a Swift Parrot from Australia.

Third place      Myron Tay: a wonderful photo of a Masked Finfoot from South-East Asia.

Fourth place   Greg & Yvonne Dean: a fantastic image of a flock of El Oro Parakeets from Ecuador.

Erik Hirschfeld, Editor of The World’s Rarest Birds, said “We would like to thank all the photographers who kindly submitted their images to the project. Having so many fantastic photos to choose from has enabled us to present the most complete collection of photographs of the most threatened birds ever published.”

“Of the 590 species featured in the book, we managed to obtain photos of 515. That is an amazing 87% of the 590 species that are currently categorized as either Extinct in the Wild, Critically Endangered or Endangered. We are very grateful to Princeton University Press, WILDGuides, Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International who kindly supported the project by providing a range of attractive prizes for the competition. I am sure that this support helped to encourage more people to submit their images for use in this important project.”

TWRB 2012 Photo Comp CR COMMENDED Silvery Wood-pigeon (c) James Eaton - TheWorldsRarestBirds)

Silvery Wood-pigeon. Commended in the Critically Endangered category (James Eaton)

TWRB 2012 Photo Comp EN 2ND PRIZE Swift Parrot (c) David Stowe - TheWorldsRarestBirds)

Swift Parrot. Runner up in the Endangered Category (David Stowe)

Andy Swash, Managing Director of the publisher WILDGuides and joint Editor of the book said “We are delighted to have been able to work closely with BirdLife International in producing The World’s Rarest Birds. It is undoubtedly a stunning and beautifully illustrated book. But its key message is poignant – a large proportion of the world’s birds, including every one that is depicted, is threatened with extinction. This is a great concern to many and I just hope that the production of The World’s Rarest Birds will help to raise awareness and make some contribution to their conservation.”

Hundreds of fantastic photographs were submitted to the 2012 competition and selecting the winners proved very difficult. One of the judges, professional bird photographer David Tipling, said “Despite the rarity of the birds featured in The World’s Rarest Birds, the quality of the images entered into the competition was truly amazing. I love the idea of encouraging photographers to support an important conservation cause by allowing their images to be published in this way.”

Ade Long, BirdLife’s Head of Communications said, “The response to The World’s Rarest Birds photo competitions was astonishing. The number of entries was almost overwhelming, and the quality of the images just breathtaking. This is a fantastic book, but it provides a powerful reminder of the large number of species – many of them extremely beautiful – that are on the brink of extinction. The books contains maps and information developed using BirdLife’s data on all the world’s 10,000 bird species”

The Worlds Rarest Birds project has stepped up as a Species Champion in support of the BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme.

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Good Madagascar endangered duck news

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This video says about itself:

March 10, 2011

In October and November 2009 the last 19 Madagascar Pochard survived on a cluster of ponds in the north of Madagascar. The population was more than doubled when eggs were collected from the nests of three females and 24 ducklings hatched in incubators to begin a conservation breeding programme… watch this to see how the the programme began.

From Wildlife Extra:

Critically Endangered Madagascar pochard population has quadrupled

Population has reached 80 birds

March 2013. The world’s population of the Madagascar pochard has almost quadrupled thanks to the conservation efforts of Durrell and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT). This phenomenal success story will help to secure the population of this Critically Endangered duck.

20 pochards reared this season

Twenty Madagascar pochards have successfully been hatched and reared this breeding season, bringing the world population of this species to around 80 birds.

To date, 38 ducklings have successfully been reared in the specially developed breeding centre at Antsohihy, Madagascar, since the captive breeding programme commenced in 2009.

Building and running a breeding centre for this species in a rural town in Madagascar is a real challenge for the field teams. Clean water and electricity supplies in the area are unpredictable but thanks to contingency measures such as water storage tanks and generators; coupled with the hard work and commitment of the team, many of the everyday practical issues surrounding the project have been overcome.

Importantly during this, the second breeding season, the number of enclosures at the centre was increased meaning that staff could pair up specific single males and females, thus providing vital information on genetic management for the species.

Commenting on the breeding success Glyn Young, Conservation Biologist at Durrell, said “This latest batch of healthy ducklings provides us with another step forward in saving the pochard from extinction. Genetic management allows us to make the best use of a limited number of wild birds and to ensure the maximum health of the vital conservation population necessary for the survival of this duck.”

Rediscovered in 2006

The Madagascar pochard was thought to have become extinct in the late 1990s, but was rediscovered in 2006, when conservationists on an expedition spotted just 22 birds at a single site – Lake Matsaborimena, in northern Madagascar.

Peter Cranswick, Head of Species Recovery at WWT said, “The 58 Madagascar pochards in the captive breeding centre provide a safety net for the population if the tiny wild population were to go extinct. We are now conducting detailed research in Madagascar to determine the species’ critical needs and to identify possible sites for future reintroductions”

Developments and enhancements are now underway at the Antsohihy centre in preparation for the next breeding season for the captive ducks.

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New mouse lemur species discoveries in Madagascar

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A captive Microcebus murinus mouse lemur, which occurs in the same area as the newly discovered Anosy mouse lemur. M. murinus considered an alternative model system to mice and rats in biomedical research on human disease and aging. Credit: David Haring of the Duke Lemur Center

From Wildlife Extra:

2 new species of mouse lemur identified in Madagascar

DNA says lemur lookalikes are 2 new species

March 2013. Scientists have identified two new species of mouse lemur, the saucer-eyed, teacup-sized primates native to the African island of Madagascar.

20 Mouse lemurs recognised

The new study brings the number of recognized mouse lemur species to 20, making them the most diverse group of lemurs known. But because these shy, nocturnal primates look so much alike, it’s only possible to tell them apart with genetic sequencing.

Weigh just 2.5 – 3 ounces

The new mouse lemurs weigh 2.5 to 3 ounces (about 65 to 85 grams) and have grey-brown fur. “You can’t really tell them apart just looking at them through binoculars in the rainforest,” said senior author Peter Kappeler of the German Primate Center in Goettingen, who earned his PhD at Duke in 1992.

Close neighbours

The researchers named one of the new species the Anosy mouse lemur, or Microcebus tanosi. Anosy mouse lemurs are close neighbours with grey mouse lemurs and grey-brown mouse lemurs, but the genetic data indicate they don’t interbreed.

The researchers named the other new species the Marohita mouse lemur, or Microcebus marohita, after the forest where it was found. In Malagasy, the word “marohita” means “many views.”

First caught in 2003 – 2007

The two new species were first captured by co-author Rodin Rasoloarison of the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar during trips to the eastern part of the country in 2003 and 2007. Rasoloarison weighed and measured them and took tiny skin samples for genetic analysis in the lab.

Co-authors Anne Yoder and Dave Weisrock, both at Duke University at the time, analysed two mitochondrial and four nuclear DNA genes to figure out where the animals fit into the lemur family tree. Their genetic analyses were published in 2010, but this is the first time the species have been formally named and described.

Funded by a grant from the German Research Foundation, the study is published in the March 26 online issue of the International Journal of Primatology.

During a 2012 return trip to the forest where the Marohita mouse lemur lives, Rasoloarison discovered that much of the lemur’s forest home had been cleared since his first visit in 2003. The state of the lemur’s habitat prompted the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to classify the new species as “endangered” even before it was formally described.

“This species is a prime example of the current state of many other lemur species,” Kappeler said. Mouse lemurs have lived in Madagascar for 7 to 10 million years. But since humans arrived on the island some 2,500 years ago, logging and slash and burn agriculture have taken their toll on the forests where these tree-dwelling primates live.

Only 10 percent of Madagascar’s original forests remain today, which makes lemurs the most endangered mammals in the world according to the IUCN.

“Knowing exactly how many species we have is essential for determining which areas to target for conservation,” Kappeler said.

A better understanding of mouse lemur diversity could help humans too. Mouse lemurs are a closer genetic match to humans than mice and rats, the most common lab animals. At least one species — the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) — develops a neurological disease that is strikingly similar to human Alzheimer’s, so the animals are considered important models for understanding the aging brain.

“But before we can say whether a particular genetic variant in mouse lemurs is associated with Alzheimer’s, we need to know whether that variant is specific to all mouse lemurs or just select species,” said Lemur Center Director Anne Yoder.

“Every new mouse lemur species that we sample in the wild will help researchers put the genetic diversity we see in grey mouse lemurs in a broader context,” she said.

CITATION: Rasoloarison, R., et al. (2013). “Two new species of mouse lemurs (Cheirogaleidae: Microcebus) from eastern Madagascar.” International Journal of Primatology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10764-013-9672-1

See also here.

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Madagascar aye-ayes in danger

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This is an aye-aye video.

From Wildlife Extra:

Isolated Aye-aye populations endangered by lack of genetic diversity

Endangered Aye-ayes‘ complete genomes are sequenced and analysed for conservation efforts

March 2013. For the first time, the complete genomes of three separate populations of aye-ayes, a very rare type of lemur, have been sequenced and analysed in an effort to help guide conservation efforts.

The aye-aye, a lemur that is found only on the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, was recently re-classified as “Endangered” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. “The aye-aye is one of the world’s most unusual and fascinating animals,” said George H. Perry, an assistant professor of anthropology and biology at Penn State University. “Aye-ayes use continuously growing incisors to gnaw through the bark of dead trees and then a long, thin, and flexible middle finger to extract insect larvae, filling the ecological niche of a woodpecker. Aye-ayes are nocturnal, solitary, and have very low population densities, making them difficult to study and sample in the wild.”

Habitat fragmentation

Perry added that he and other scientists are concerned about the long-term viability of aye-ayes as a species, given the loss and fragmentation of natural forest habitats in Madagascar. “Aye-aye population densities are very low, and individual aye-ayes have huge home-range requirements,” said Perry. “As forest patches become smaller, there is a particular risk that there won’t be sufficient numbers of individual aye-ayes in a given area to maintain a population over multiple generations. We were looking to make use of new genomic-sequencing technologies to characterize patterns of genetic diversity among some of the surviving aye-aye populations, with an eye towards the prioritization of conservation efforts.”

Louis, with his team at Omaha‘s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership, worked to locate aye-ayes and collect DNA samples from three separate regions of Madagascar: the northern, eastern, and western regions. To discover the extent of the genetic diversity in present-day aye-ayes, the researchers generated the complete genome sequences of 12 individual aye-ayes. They then analysed and compared the genomes of the three populations. They found that, while eastern and western aye-ayes are somewhat genetically distinct, aye-ayes in the northern part of the island and those in the east show a much more significant amount of genetic distance, suggesting an extensive period of time during which interbreeding has not occurred between the populations in these regions.

“Our next step was to compare aye-aye genetic diversity to present-day human genetic diversity,” explained Miller. “This analysis can help us to gauge how long the aye-aye populations have been geographically separated and unable to interbreed.” To make the comparison, the team gathered 12 complete human DNA sequences, the same number as the individual aye-aye sequences generated, from publicly available databases for three distinct human populations: African agriculturalists, individuals of European descent, and Southeast Asian individuals. Using Galaxy, an open-source, web-based computer platform designed at Penn State for data-intensive biomedical and genetic research, the team developed software to compare the two species’ genetic distances. They found that present-day African and European human populations have a smaller amount of genetic distance than that found to exist between northern and eastern aye-aye populations, suggesting that the aye-aye populations were separated for an especially lengthy period of time by geographic barriers.

Isolated population

“We believe that northern aye-ayes have not been able to interbreed with other populations for some time; Although they are separated by a distance of only about 160 miles, high and extensive plateaus and major rivers may have made intermingling relatively infrequent,” explained Miller. He added that the results of the team’s data further suggest that the separation of the two aye-aye populations stretches back much longer than 2,300 years, which is when human settlers first arrived on the island and started burning the aye-ayes’ forest habitat and hunting lemurs.

The team members hope that their findings will help to guide future conservation efforts for the species. “This work highlights an important region of aye-aye biodiversity in northern Madagascar, and this unique biodiversity is not preserved anywhere except in the wild,” said Louis. “There is tremendous historical loss of habitat in northern Madagascar that is continuing at an unsustainable rate today. This study is an excellent example of how a comprehensive and coordinated effort in the field and laboratory can identify previously unknown patterns of biodiversity for an endangered species, which then can be used by conservation organizations to base their management strategies.”

The authors added that, in future research, they would like to sequence the genomes of other lemur species, over 70 percent of which are considered endangered or critically endangered, as well as aye-ayes from the southern reaches of the island of Madagascar.

In addition to Perry, Miller, and Louis, other scientists who contributed to this research include Stephan C. Schuster, Aakrosh Ratan, Oscar C. Bedoya-Reina, and Richard Burhans from Penn State; Runhua Lei from the Center for Conservation and Research at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium; and Steig E. Johnson from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.

Funding for aye-aye sample collection was provided by Conservation International, the Primate Action Fund, and the Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation, along with logistical support from the Ahmanson Foundation and the Theodore F. and Claire M. Hubbard Family Foundation. Additional support comes from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State University.

The results of the genome-sequence analyses will be published in an early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online during the week of 25 March 2013. The team of scientists is led by George H. Perry, an assistant professor of anthropology and biology at Penn State University; Webb Miller, a professor of biology and of computer science and engineering at Penn State; and Edward Louis, Director of Conservation Genetics at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and Director of the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership, NGO.

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New Madagascar lizard species discovery

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Sirenoscincus mobydick. Image courtesy of France's National Centre for Scientific Research

From Wildlife Extra:

New species of unique burrowing lizard discovered in Madagascar

Limbless and nearly eyeless lizard

January 2013. A new species of burrowing lizard has been discovered in Madagascar by an international team led by French researchers. Named Sirenoscincus mobydick in reference to the famous albino sperm whale from Herman Melville’s novel, this species has a combination of unique anatomical features that make it stand out amongst terrestrial vertebrates. At the origin of the diversity of life forms, evolution is a modification of the genetic and morphological characters of species over generations. It means that a species will adapt to the environment in which it lives in order to increase and measure its chances of survival in this environment.

The “Moby Dick” lizard discovered in the dry forests of Northwestern Madagascar is very different from other species of legless lizards. In addition to a lack of skin pigment, as it spends its whole life burrowing underground, it has almost completely lost its eyes. This new species of lizard, which spends most of its life burrowing in sand, also lost its legs.

These works were published late December 2012 in the Journal Zoosystema.

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Mammals threatened by climate change

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Mammals and storms, climate map

Mammals and drouight, climate map

From Wildlife Extra:

Disaster map predicts bleak future for mammals

Mammals are in for a stormy ride as cyclones and droughts caused by climate change could threaten populations

December 2012. Mammals could be at a greater risk of extinction due to predicted increases in extreme weather conditions according to some new research. Scientists have mapped out land mammal populations, and overlapped this with information of where droughts and cyclones are most likely to occur. This allowed them to identify species at high risk of exposure to extreme weather. The paper describes the results of assessing almost six thousand species of land mammals in this way.

Cyclones & droughts

Lead author of the paper, ZSL’s Eric Ameca y Juárez says: “Approximately a third of the species assessed have at least a quarter of their range exposed to cyclones, droughts or a combination of both. If these species are found to be highly susceptible to these conditions, it will lead to a substantial increase in the number of mammals classified as threatened by the IUCN under the category ‘climate change and severe weather’.”

Primates in particular are in danger

In particular, primates – already among the most endangered mammals in the world – are highlighted as being especially at risk. Over 90 per cent of black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra) and Yucatan spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi yucatanensis) known habitats have been damaged by cyclones in the past, and studies have documented ways they are able to adapt to the detrimental effects of these natural disasters.

Madagascar

In contrast, very little is known about the impacts of these climatic extremes on other species. In Madagascar, entire known distributions of the western woolly lemur (Avahi occidentalis) and the golden bamboo lemur (Hapalemur aureus) have been exposed to both cyclones and drought. These endangered species are also amongst the world’s most evolutionary distinct, yet remain highly understudied.

ZSL’s research fellow Dr Nathalie Pettorelli says: “This is the first study of its kind to look at which species are at risk from extreme climatic events. There are a number of factors which influence how an animal copes with exposure to natural disasters. It is essential we identify species at greatest risk so that we can better inform conservation management in the face of global environmental change.”

The study was published by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in the journal Conservation Letters.

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Good Madagascar lemur news

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From Wildlife Extra:

Greater bamboo lemur removed from most endangered list

Greater bamboo lemur in Madagascar © The Aspinall Foundation

Conservation efforts rewarded

November 2012. The greater bamboo lemur has been removed from the list of the 25 most endangered primates thanks to efforts of the The Aspinall Foundation, Conservation International and others in Madagascar.

The Aspinall Foundation has been working in Madagascar to protect the greater bamboo lemur, one of the most endangered primates in the world. The surveys carried out by the conservation charity’s teams on the island have resulted in the greater bamboo lemur being removed from the list of the 25 most endangered primates in the world, for the first time in a decade.

Damian Aspinall said: ‘Madagascar is the number one priority in the world for the conservation of primate diversity and the greater bamboo lemur was, until recently, a symbol of the threats facing this remarkable island. Now the species symbolises what can be achieved with vision, passion and tireless commitment to locally relevant conservation.’

Considered highly endangered 5 years ago

Occurring only in the rainforests and bamboo thickets of eastern Madagascar, this unique lemur was considered to be in danger of imminent extinction – just five years ago. Since then, an ambitious collaborative species survival plan, proposed by the UK based charity – The Aspinall Foundation, has resulted in the discovery of several new populations of the highly elusive primate. Backed up by rapid development of community based conservation actions for the majority of these new populations, the future of the species is looking brighter.

300 Greater bamboo lemurs

Tony King, Project Director In Madagascar said: ‘We are now protecting over 300 greater bamboo lemurs at ten sites and one of these sites has recently been inaugurated as the first ever community managed reserve, specifically for the species. These efforts have averted the immediate crisis facing the greater bamboo lemur – however we need to encourage the continued support of local communities to ensure the survival of the lemur for generations to come.’

Still not safe

Many of the threats that have reduced the population to such small numbers still exist. Habitat degradation is still a major concern, combined with the pressure from the rapid population rise in many parts of Madagascar.

Greater bamboo lemur in Madagascar © The Aspinall Foundation

This enchanting seascape, the largest bay along the eastern coast of Madagascar, is home to coral reefs and various species of sharks, dolphins, and sea turtles: here.

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New threatened wildlife list

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This video is about threatened wildlife.

From AFP news agency:

Hundreds of plants and animals added to ‘threatened’ list

October 17, 2012, 9:35 pm

HYDERABAD, India – An island-dwelling cockroach and a tiny snail were declared extinct Wednesday while 400 plants and animals were added to a threatened “Red List” as global environment ministers met in India.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) updated its authoritative study on the state of biodiversity on Earth, saying 20,219 species were at risk of dying out.

It added 402 species such as the Egyptian dab lizard and the Sichuan Taimen, a fresh water fish from China, to the “Red List”, which puts them in the threatened category.

Two invertebrates, a cockroach from the Seychelles last seen in 1905 and a freshwater snail called Little Flat-Top from the US state of Alabama, have moved into the extinct category since the last update of the bi-annual survey in June.

“These are species that do not occur anywhere else in the world,” the IUCN’s director of biodiversity conservation Jane Smart said at a UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) conference in Hyderabad, southern India.

The report also showed that 83 percent of Madagascar’s 192 palm species, which the poor rely on heavily for food and housing, are at risk of extinction.

They include the “Suicide Palm“, which grows up to 18 metres (60 feet) in height and dies a few months after flowering and producing seeds. Only 30 mature specimens are known to exist in the wild today.

A quarter of the world’s mammals, 13 percent of birds, 41 percent of amphibians and 33 percent of reef-building corals are at risk of extinction, according to the IUCN.

The report set alarm bells ringing as more than 70 environment ministers met for talks on halting the depletion of Earth’s natural resources, with pressure for them to match political pledges with hard cash.

There was also some happy news, however, with the IUCN saying eight species had moved out of the extinct category due to new sightings.

They include a Tanzanian tree, Erythrina schliebenii, five types of mollusc, a dwarf toad from Sri Lanka, and Holdridge’s Toad, a species from Costa Rica.

The gathering comes two years after UN countries approved a 20-point plan at a conference in Japan for reversing the worrying decline in plant and animal species that humans depend on for food, shelter and livelihoods.

Execution of the plan has been hamstrung by a lack of funding and the Hyderabad talks are being closely watched for new financial commitments.

Environmental economist Pavan Sukhdev said Wednesday that an expert panel had concluded that between $150-440 billion (115 to 330 billion euros) would be needed annually to meet the Japan goals, dubbed the Aichi biodiversity targets.

Current conservation spending is estimated at about $10 billion per year.

With a 2020 deadline, the targets include halving the rate of habitat loss, expanding conservation areas, preventing the extinction of species on the threatened list, and restoring at least 15 percent of degraded ecosystems.

“The cost of inaction is something that people have only just begun to appreciate,” UN Environment Programme executive director Achim Steiner warned.

“When you run out of water, when you run out of arable land… and your rivers run dry, when your lakes silt up, when your fisheries collapse, then it is often too late to start talking about the value of biodiversity ecosystems.”

The three-day ministers’ meeting comes at the end of two weeks of talks by senior officials from 184 parties to the conference — negotiations that delegates say have become stuck on the question of financing in a time of economic austerity.

The convention, to which 193 countries are signatories, marks its 20th anniversary this year.

It has already missed one key deadline when it failed to meet the target set to halt biodiversity loss by 2010.

The updated Red list, assessing 65,518 known species of animals and plants, lists 795 as extinct and 63 as surviving only in captivity.