An endangered species is a taxonomic group (typically at the species level) that faces a very high risk of extinction in the near future across all or a significant portion of its range, as determined by quantitative assessment criteria such as population size, rate of decline, geographic range, and degree of habitat fragmentation. In conservation biology and environmental policy, endangered status guides prioritization of management actions, legal protections, and resource allocation. Scientific evaluation commonly uses standardized frameworks (e.g., formal Red List–type criteria) based on demographic trends, reproductive rates, and known or projected threats, including habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive species, pollution, and climate change.
A butterfly flits past the window at the Castlewood Canyon Visitor Center, where dozens of volunteers have gathered to learn about Colorado's declining butterfly population and how they can do their part to save it.
Plants & Animals
Jun 16, 2025
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Small and stocky birds perch, hunched over, on the treetops and branches of Lake Okeechobee on the edge of Florida's swampy Everglades for the better part of winter. The alligators swarming the murky waters below don't faze ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 13, 2025
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Japan's declining population in agricultural regions could be having a damaging impact on biodiversity—a trend that could spread through East Asia and Europe as global fertility rates fall—according to an international ...
Ecology
Jun 12, 2025
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Experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have analyzed how targeted management of invasive alien species (IAS) can reduce extinction risks for threatened species across the European Union (EU), ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 12, 2025
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Emperor penguin populations in Antarctica have shrunk by almost a quarter as global warming transforms their icy habitat, according to new research on Tuesday that warned the losses were far worse than previously imagined.
Plants & Animals
Jun 10, 2025
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Australia is a place of great natural beauty, home to many species found nowhere else on Earth. But it's also particularly vulnerable to introduced animals, diseases, and weeds. Habitat destruction, pollution, and climate ...
Environment
Apr 2, 2025
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