State of the Rainforest 2014

update, 25 over 90% of Madagascar’s lemurs are threatened with extinction. The Brazilian 26 – the mascot of the 2014 FIFA World Cup – is in the category ‘Vulnerable’ as its population continues to decline. Among the rainforest countries in Africa, Madagascar clearly stands out as having the highest number (873) of threatened species – both ‘critically endangered’, ‘endangered’ and ‘vulnerable’ plants and animals are included in this figure. Cameroon has as many as 636 species on this Red List, 27 whilst its giant rainforest neighbour DR Congo, has 322 registered. In Southeast Asia, the situation is clearly most critical in Indonesia and Malaysia, each with over 1200 endangered species. In the Amazon, the small country of Ecuador tops the list, with as many as 2292 of its plants and animals listed, more than its giant Amazonian neighbour Brazil (934). On the positive side, at least we now know more about endangered species than before, and new technologies make it easier to monitor populations and identify threats. This puts us in a better position to take appropriate measures to halt the loss of biodiversity. Important individuals With so much diversity, does it really matter if a few species disappears? The question of the importance of individual species for the ecosystem is hotly debated among scientists. According to a 2013 study 28 of species-rich ecosystems, some species are extremely important for ecosystem functions. A part of the study examined tropical trees, more specifically the 662 species found in French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana. It found that rare species are far more important for the ecosystem than their numbers and distribution would suggest. One example is a tree only recently

are disappearing at a rate up to 1000 times faster than the natural extinction rate, 21 and nobody knows which species will be lost next.

In the deep cloud forests in the highlands of Ecuador, a hitherto unknown mammal has managed to hide from researchers until 2013. 22 The Olinguito ( Bassaricyon neblina ), which resembles a mix between a cat and a teddy bear, is related to the raccoon. The olinguito is a living proof that there is a lot we still do not know about the inhabitants of the world’s tropical forests. Like many other known and unknown species in the cloud forest, the olinguito is endangered because its habitat is under pressure. 23 Australia’s rainforests are also represented on the list of the most threatened species of the world: The newly discovered leaf tailed gecko ( Phyllurus gulbaru ), which has a variegated pattern and with an extremely broad tail as part of its ‘camouflage uniform’ is critically endangered. 24 Habitat destruction is the greatest threat to the great variation of plants and animals in the rainforest, and the main reason why so many species are on the brink of extinction. The Golden Toad, however, suffered a different fate. It became world famous as the first animal likely to have become extinct due to climate change. Although researchers still debate lively whether climate change actually caused the disappearance of this particular animal, it is generally agreed that climate change poses a threat to biodiversity and will lead to acceleration of the loss of species. Wildlife on large rainforest islands like Madagascar and the islands of Southeast Asia, together with the peripheral zones of the world’s rainforests, is particularly vulnerable. The IUCNs “red list” has listed 22,103 as threatened with extinction, based on assessment of more than 73,000 species. According to a recent

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STATE OF THE RAINFOREST 2014