Views from the Photo Desk: Endangered Species
Views from the Photo Desk is a monthly selection of captivating images from the iLCP Image Bank curated by our Visual Assets Coordinator.
A recent report from the United Nations found that 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction. This is more than ever before in human history. The report states:
“The average abundance of native species in most major land-based habitats has fallen by at least 20%, mostly since 1900. More than 40% of amphibian species, almost 33% of reef-forming corals and more than a third of all marine mammals are threatened. The picture is less clear for insect species, but available evidence supports a tentative estimate of 10% being threatened. At least 680 vertebrate species had been driven to extinction since the 16th century and more than 9% of all domesticated breeds of mammals used for food and agriculture had become extinct by 2016, with at least 1,000 more breeds still threatened.”
iLCP harnesses the power of captivating images to share conservation stories. Take a look at these photos of endangered or near-threatened species taken by iLCP Fellows around the globe.
Aerial view of a North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis) feeding in the Bay of Fundy, Canada, September, 2016. // Photo by Emerging League Photographer Nick Hawkins
Critically Endangered mountain yellow-legged frog, Rana muscosa, in California. // Photo by Senior Fellow Robin Moore
Healthy cabbage coral (Turbinaria reniformis) formation surrounded by basslets, damsels and other tropical reef fish. other variety of corals and sponges. Tufi, Papua New Guinea. // Photo by Senior/Founding Fellow Michele Westmorland
Gaoligongshan Tree Frog, Polypedates gongshanensis, in Fern, Cibotium barometz, Gaoligongshan Mountains, Yunnan, China // Photo by Senior/Founding Fellow Staffan Widstrand
Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) on Pack Ice, Svalbard, Norwegian arctic // Photo by Founding Fellow Kevin Schafer