Scientists warn us that our planet is undergoing a major wildlife crisis on par with earlier mass extinction events in the earth's history.

It is estimated that some 16,000 species are currently threatened with extinction, including 12 per cent of birds, a quarter of all mammals and a third of amphibians, such as frogs and salamanders. Among the most vulnerable wildlife, are plants and animals that are iconic to Canadians: such as polar bears and grizzlies, salmon and woodland caribou.

The effects of climate change are predicted to sharply increase the risk of species extinction within our children's lifetime. Indeed, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 20 - 30% of all plants and animals that we share this planet with today, face a premature risk of extinction directly as a consequence of climate change.
 
To protect the biological richness that we are blessed with we need to radically reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by using less fossil fuels and by protecting our old growth forests, wetlands, grasslands, peatlands and other ecosystems which sequester and store carbon dioxide in their vegetation and soils.  Protecting ecosystems also promotes ecological resiliency so that species and ecosystems can cope and adapt to the effects of climate change itself.

By Dr. Faisal Moola, PhD, Director of Terrestrial Conservation and Science at the David Suzuki Foundation

This post is part of Blog Action Day 2009.