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Endangered species

Of the 33 animal phyla (major groups of organisms) found on Earth, 15 are exclusively found in the marine realm. It is believed that the biodiversity is higher in the marine environment than in terrestrial ecosystems, but only about 20% of the animals described and cataloged today are marine.

Thus there is a huge lack of knowledge of about species living in coastal waters, and any attempt to list their endangered species will therefore be far from complete. IUCN's Species Survival Commission maintains a list of species threatened with extinction on a global level, but this contains mainly terrestrial species. An effort is now being made to map littoral and marine species. On the preliminary lists, only animals from 10 classes within 4 phyla are represented, and among these, mostly mammals, reptiles, birds and fish (PAGE CE, p. 44,46).

Though extinction is a natural feature in the evolution of species, in recent times humans (and their introduced animals) have been responsible for the disappearance of many of the animals, ranging from the dodo and passenger pigeon to Steller's sea cow. Marine turtles are among the most severely threatened species.

Based on: 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals PAGE CE: Burke L, Kura Y, Kassem K, Revenga C, Spalding M, McAllister D. 2001. Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems. Coastal Ecosystems. World Resources Institute, ISBN 1-56973-458-5. Available at www.wri.org/wr2000 Map