Wildlife species face extinction in Xinjiang
Updated: 2016-01-04 18:35
(Xinhua)
|
||||||||
Mustang is among the species that are extinct in the wild in Xinjiang. The photo was taken in 2009. [Photo/CFP] |
URUMQI -- Many types of wildlife are facing extinction in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to a new report.
The Red List of Xinjiang's Vertebrates revealed that 16 types of vertebrates in the region are near extinction or are critically endangered.
According to the list, mustangs and saigas are already extinct in the wild, while white storks and stenodus leucichthys, a freshwater whitefish, are facing regional extinction. Another 12 species are critically endangered, while 40 other species are endangered.
Compiled by the wildlife and wetland research center under the Xinjiang Academy of Forestry, the red list is an assessment of the conservation status of Xinjiang's biological species based on the standards of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species classifies species into nine groups, with "extinct" being the most severe, followed by "extinct in the wild." The criteria are based on factors such as rate of decline and population size, among others.
Some wild animals like the Gobi Argali sheep were labeled "endangered" in 2004, but now they are classified as "critically endangered," according to Cai Xinbin, an official with the academy.
Xinjiang boasts rich biodiversity, with 731 types of vertebrates found in the region, or 10 percent of the country's total. It is also home to some of the most ancient species, such as the Xinjiang Salamander.
Wildlife has been threatened by human activity, pollution and climate change in recent years.
- Top planner targets 40% cut in PM2.5 for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster
- Yearender: Predictions for 2016 through 20 questions
- Asia's largest underground railway station opens in Shenzhen
- Shanghai bans drug-using actors, drivers
- Clamping down to clean up the air
- Yearender: Ten most talked-about newsmakers in 2015
- Over 1 million refugees have fled to Europe by sea in 2015: UN
- Turbulence injures multiple Air Canada passengers, diverts flight
- NASA releases stunning images of our planet from space station
- US-led air strikes kill IS leaders linked to Paris attacks
- DPRK senior party official Kim Yang Gon killed in car accident
- Former Israeli PM Olmert's jail term cut, cleared of main charge
- The world in photos: Dec 28 - Jan 3
- Zodiac golden accessories make a splash in the new year
- Picutre review of the sky in Beijing, 2015
- Confinement center provides high-end service to new moms
- Gorgeous rime scenery in Northwest China's Xinjiang
- 127th Tournament of Rose Parade celebrated to embrace 2016
- Yearender: China's proposals on world's biggest issues
- NASA reveals entire alphabet but F in satellite images
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
8 highlights about V-day Parade |
Glimpses of Tibet: Plateaus, people and faith |
Chinese entrepreneurs remain optimistic despite economic downfall |
50th anniversary of Tibet autonomous region |
Tianjin explosions: Deaths, destruction and bravery |
Cinemas enjoy strong first half |
Today's Top News
Shooting rampage at US social services agency leaves 14 dead
Chinese bargain hunters are changing the retail game
Chinese president arrives in Turkey for G20 summit
Islamic State claims responsibility for Paris attacks
Obama, Netanyahu at White House seek to mend US-Israel ties
China, not Canada, is top US trade partner
Tu first Chinese to win Nobel Prize in Medicine
Huntsman says Sino-US relationship needs common goals
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |