News
On May 22nd the world will celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity. This annual event aims to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity, whilst stressing the importance of its conservation.
This year’s theme is “Biodiversity and Development” and seeks to emphasise the importance of biodiversity for healthy and sustainable development; bringing to attention the consequences of its loss and how this impacts on human well-being. Protecting biodiversity not only improves our environment, but benefits our health and economies. Many species have critical uses in such diverse industries as agriculture, eco-tourism and medical research, while many others have vital roles in maintaining ecosystems and our food supplies.
This year’s event is also of particular significance as 2010 has been proclaimed as the International Year of Biodiversity, a year-long celebration of the huge variety of life on Earth. Throughout the year, as part of our ‘Most Wanted’ challenge, ARKive aims to highlight the plight of the world’s threatened species by tracking down imagery for 17,000 of the most endangered animals and plants. Below is a small selection of ARKive species which play a role in improving human well-being.
Vicuna (Vicugna vicugna)
Once hunted in their tens of thousands for their valuable double-coated fleece, today local communities are able to sustainably harvest the vicuna’s wool, one of the most valuable and highly-prized sources of animal fibre, which may sell for $300 to $800 per kilogram.Eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei)
A continent rich in wildlife, many thousands of tourists travel to Africa each year in the hope of seeing some of its iconic animals. As a result, nature-based tourism now generates approximately the same amount of revenue as farming, forestry and fisheries combined.Azobe (Lophira alata)
The Earth’s forests act as a natural sink for carbon dioxide, potentially mitigating some of the effects of global warming. Tropical forests may trap as much as 18 percent of all carbon dioxide added to our atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels.Honey bee (Apis mellifera)
Honey bees perform a vital role in the pollination of flowering plants, and are estimated to pollinate around a third of the food we eat. Their role in the food chain is so important that in the UK the value of bees’ services has been estimated at £200 million a year and the retail value of what they pollinate closer to a colossal £1 billion a year.Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)
One of the major medical breakthroughs of the last century, scientists were able to utilise several alkaloids derived from the Madagascar periwinkle for use in cancer treatment. One particular compound (vincristine) has been credited with raising the survival rate in childhood leukaemia from less than 10 percent in 1960 to over 90 percent today.Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares)
Astonishingly, more than 3.5 billion people rely on the ocean as their primary source of food, with 80 percent of the world’s population living within 60 miles of the coast. Consequently, protecting our fish-stocks has never been more important.Archived news items
Wednesday 27th October 2010
IUCN study confirms vertebrate extinction crisis
Wednesday 20th October 2010
Rat eradication planned for Pacific island
Wednesday 13th October 2010
WWF Releases its Living Planet Report 2010
Thursday 30th September 2010
One in five plant species under threat
Monday 20th September 2010
‘Asian unicorn’ found in Lao PDR
Tuesday 14th September 2010
Turtles In Trouble
Thursday 19th August 2010
Rare giraffe added to IUCN Red List
Wednesday 11th August 2010
Search begins for the world's 'lost frogs'
Monday 9th August 2010
New species of titi monkey discovered in Colombia
Friday 30th July 2010
Elusive carnivores photographed in Sabah
Tuesday 20th July 2010
Mysterious primate caught on camera for the first time
Wednesday 7th July 2010
Rescue Plan for Endangered Sea Turtles
Thursday 24th June 2010
National Insect Week
Thursday 17th June 2010
Have a 'Wild Night In' with the BBC
Monday 14th June 2010
ARKive's World Cup Dream Team
Wednesday 2nd June 2010
Mystery disease kills 12,000 saiga antelope
Thursday 27th May 2010
BirdLife releases update on the status of the world’s birds
Friday 7th May 2010
ARKive Education needs your views
Thursday 22nd April 2010
World celebrates Earth Day 2010
Friday 26th March 2010
Earth hour 2010 - Surviving in the dark
Thursday 18th March 2010
Europe's Insects at Risk from Habitat Loss
Friday 5th March 2010
Abu Dhabi wildlife photography exhibition
Wednesday 24th February 2010
Primates in Peril
Thursday 11th February 2010
Sir David Attenborough launches ARKive's 'Most Wanted' 2010 Challenge
Thursday 21st January 2010
365 days of biodiversity
Monday 14th December 2009
IUCN releases climate change hit list
Tuesday 3rd November 2009
2009 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - Extinction crisis continues
Monday 19th October 2009
ARKive dives deeper for digital imagery
Monday 5th October 2009
ARKive working with STERNA to create access to European digital collections
Friday 16th September 2009
ARKive's UAE Wildlife Photography Competition - Winner Announced
Friday 4th September 2009
BBC's Last Chance to See
Wednesday 19th August 2009
Giant carnivorous plant discovered in Philippines
Wednesday 1st July 2009
Celebrating Darwin
Friday 26th June 2009
World's smallest cetacean on the brink
Wednesday 17th June 2009
New havens for the Hawaiian monk seal
Monday 8th June 2009
World Oceans Day 2009
Wednesday 3rd June 2009
Research reveals jaguar secrets
Thursday 21st May 2009
Komodo dragon found to be venomous
Friday 15th May 2009
The United States celebrates Endangered Species Day
Thursday 14th May 2009
More birds threatened with extinction than ever before
Friday 8th May 2009
Released pygmy hogs alive and well
Wednesday 29nd April 2009
Shark finning crackdown
Wednesday 22nd April 2009
World celebrates Earth Day 2009
Wednesday 15th April 2009
Intrepid scientists discover new orang-utan population on Borneo
Wednesday 1st April 2009
Rapid response helps the sociable lapwing
Friday 27th March 2009
ARKive works with WWF to promote Earth Hour
Friday 20th March 2009
Deadly fungus strikes mountain chicken
Wednesday 11th March 2009
Explore ARKive's threatened marine species using Google Earth
Monday 23rd February 2009
Good news for Critically Endangered parrot
Monday 2nd February 2009
Find ARKive's threatened marine species using Google Earth
Thursday 29th January 2009
Mysterious penguin decline
Friday 16th January 2009
An important message from the DNA of an extinct marsupial
Wednesday 7th January 2009
Wildscreen chairman receives OBE
Monday 15th December 2008
Albatross under threat from predatory mice
Monday 8th December 2008
Conservationists battle to save the gharial from extinction
Tuesday 18th November 2008
ARKive Photographers Feature at UK’s Largest Natural History Photography Symposium
Monday 6th October 2008
2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™
Wednesday 3rd September 2008
International partnership takes Wildscreen's work to the United Arab Emirates
Wednesday 27th August 2008
Newly discovered monkey clings to survival
Wednesday 13th August 2008
A whale of a recovery
Friday 8th August 2008
China under the spotlight
Thursday 31st July 2008
New light shed on the ocean depths
Wednesday 23rd July 2008
Half of Philippine fauna nearly extinct
Wednesday 16th July 2008
One third of reef-building corals face extinction
Thursday 10th July 2008
New Natural Wonders added to the World Heritage List
Thursday 3rd July 2008
Rare white-tailed eagle spotted in Northern Ireland
Monday 23rd June 2008
National Insect Week
Friday 13th June 2008
Fishermen help protect Indian Ocean albatrosses
Tuesday 3rd June 2008
The return of Cambodia's wildlife
Thursday 22nd May 2008
International day for biological diversity
Wednesday 14th May 2008
Koalas at risk from climate change
Thursday 1st May 2008
Time is running out for Asian vultures
Tuesday 22nd April 2008
Migrating birds in decline
Friday 11th April 2008
Wildscreen's Patron Sir David Attenborough launches ARKive layer on Google Earth
Tuesday 25th March 2008
WWF reports that Australian wildlife is under pressure
Wednesday 12th March 2008
Tiger numbers 'halve in 25 years'
Tuesday 26th February 2008
South Africa lifts the ban on culling elephants
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