Conservation Status
Overexploitation, habitat destruction and fragmentation, the introduction of exotic species, and other anthropogenic pressures threaten mammals worldwide. In the past five centuries at least 82 mammal species have gone extinct. Currently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has listed about 1000 species (roughly 25% of all known mammals), as being at some risk of extinction. Several factors contribute to a species' vulnerability to human-induced extinction. Species that are naturally rare or require large home ranges are often at risk due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Species that are seen to threaten humans, livestock, or crops may be directly targeted for extirpation. Those species that are exploited by humans as a resource (e.g., for their meat or fur) but are not domesticated are often depleted to critically low levels. Finally, global climate change is adversely affecting many mammals. The geographic ranges of many mammals are shifting, and these shifts often correlate with changes in local temperatures and climate. As temperatures rise, which is especially pronounced in polar regions, some mammals are unable to adjust and are consequently at risk of losing their environment. (Reichholf, 1990b; Vaughan, et al., 2000)
Overexploitation, habitat destruction and fragmentation, the introduction of exotic species, and other anthropogenic pressures threaten mammals worldwide. In the past five centuries at least 82 mammal species have gone extinct. Currently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has listed about 1000 species (roughly 25% of all known mammals), as being at some risk of extinction. Several factors contribute to a species' vulnerability to human-induced extinction. Species that are naturally rare or require large home ranges are often at risk due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Species that are seen to threaten humans, livestock, or crops may be directly targeted for extirpation. Those species that are exploited by humans as a resource (e.g., for their meat or fur) but are not domesticated are often depleted to critically low levels. Finally, global climate change is adversely affecting many mammals. The geographic ranges of many mammals are shifting, and these shifts often correlate with changes in local temperatures and climate. As temperatures rise, which is especially pronounced in polar regions, some mammals are unable to adjust and are consequently at risk of losing their environment. (Reichholf, 1990b; Vaughan, et al., 2000)