Extinct in the wild

A species is extinct in the wild if:

there have been thorough searches conducted for the wildlife; and
the wildlife has not been seen in the wild over a period that is appropriate for the life cycle or form of the wildlife.

Extinction is irreversible and occurs when a species or other group of organisms has no living representatives in the wild. Extinction may occur on a local or global level.We are living in a time when large numbers of wild animals and plants are facing the threat of extinction, and will go extinct if these threats are not removed.

We know from the fossil record that more than 90 percent of all of the species that have ever lived are now extinct. These extinctions have occurred through natural processes such as competition between species, changing environments and climates and natural disasters. The extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago is even believed to be the result of a large asteroid hitting the earth and creating huge clouds of dust that blocked sunlight from reaching much of the earth. This in turn killed off the plants and caused a drop in temperature and changed climate patterns around the world.

Today most of the plants and animals at risk of extinction are threatened by human activities: habitat clearing, the introduction of species from other countries, pollution, population growth (too many people) and over-consumption of natural resources.

How many species could become extinct?

One estimate states that between 50 and 100 species around the world are going extinct each day. (Edward O. Wilson, 1992)