World Environmental Day 2010 is celebrated every June 5th and recognizes the need for humans around the globe to work together to preserve biodiversity across all species and reduce pollution to protect the climate and environment. From the article on RTT:
According to experts, out of the estimated 30-50 million species on earth, some 100 species are being lost each day due to deforestation. In the most recent update of its authoritative ‘Red List of Threatened Species’ , the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, has said that out of the 47,677 assessed species, 17,291 species are threatened with extinction.
Category wise, 21% of all known mammals, 30% of all known amphibians, 12% of all known birds, and 28% of reptiles, 37% of freshwater fishes, 70% of plants, 35% of invertebrates assessed so far are under threat, according to the IUCN update.
From microbes to plants to animal life, all living creatures on earth are connected through a global food chain. The acceleration in lost species threatens to break that chain placing the species above the break at great risk. Humans are considered to be the top of the food chain.