SPECIES: FAUNA
Animals often play vital ecologicalroles, such as pollination and seed dispersion. Without them, the food web of most ecosystems would be pretty simple and unviable.
Great Green Macaw
Central/South America
The great green macaw is one of the larger and more colourful parrots in South and Central America’s forests. As little as 30% of its original range may remain.
Leather Back Turtle
Central America
The leatherback turtle is the oldest and largest turtle living in our oceans and is an important part of our ecosystem.The trade of turtle eggs remains the most significant threat to marine turtles.
Saiga Antelope
Asia
This unique looking antelope lives in large nomadic herds but unfortunately their numbers are dropping and they are now considered critically endangered.
Francois Langur
Asia
The Francois’ langur is a distinctive primate, with its punk-style tuft of black hair and white sideburns. The population has declined in recent decades due to illegal hunting and habitat fragmentation.
Mountain Gorilla
Africa
Mountain gorillas have longer hair and shorter arms than their lowland cousins and tend to be a bit larger than other gorillas. Around 880 mountain gorillas remain in the world today.
Sumatran Tiger
Asia
Smallest of all the tigers, its stripes are narrower than in other tiger subspecies and it has a more bearded and maned appearance. There are around 500 Sumatran tigers existing in the wild.
Red Panda
Asia
The red panda is largely found in mountainous, temperate forest regions in Asia. Their habitat is being lost due to logging and other development, while areas are opening up to hunters and the wildlife trade.
Brown Bear
Europe
Despite its name, the brown bear varies greatly in colour, ranging from very light brown through to black. Unfortunately, this important area is under threat from development and intensive exploitation of natural resources.
SPECIES: FLORA
Plants are the building blocks of most ecosystems, certainly most land-based ecosystems. Yet they often get overlooked. By performing photosynthesis, they not only transform the sun’s energy into something other living creature can live off of (i.e. roots, leaves and stems), but they also capture carbon.
Big Tree Rhododendron
Asia
An adult tree can reach around one metre in diameter and up to 25 metres in height. Its size and beauty have contributed to its downfall and the number of trees left in the wild is unknown but could be anywhere from 100 to 1400.
Yuanbaoshan Fir
Asia
The Yuanbaoshan fir is found only in the Yuanbao Mountains of north Guangxi, China. There are only thought to be around 700 of these trees left in the wild, and the population structure mainly comprises either old individuals or very young ones.
Mpingo Tree
Africa
Its dense black wood, which gives the tree its other name, the African blackwood, is one of the most valuable timbers in the world. Illegal logging and over-harvesting have decimated mpingo tree populations.
Magnolia Sinica
Asia
Magnolia sinica can grow up to 40 metres tall and is easily recognisable in the forest thanks to its straight trunk and deep-green shiny leaves. The main threats to the species are seed collection, logging and habitat destruction for agriculture.
Niedzwetsky Apple
Asia
The Niedzwetsky apple tree is a wild relative of the domesticated apples therefore is of global importance as an international genetic resource. The expansion of agriculture and development across its range has led to 90% of the species’ habitat being lost.
Lansan Tree
North America
The Lansan Tree ‘s fleshy fruits provide food for pigeons and other forest wildlife. Habitat loss and overexploitation of lansan for resin have decimated most of the island populations.
Grandidiers Baobab
Africa
This strange yet magnificent tree is only found on the island of Madagascar. Of the eight species of baobab, six can be found only in Madagascar.
Magnolia Grandis
Asia
The Magnolia Grandi is one of the most beautiful, boasting dark red fragrant flowers and long, leathery leaves. Magnolia grandis is one of the world’s most threatened trees with a global population of fewer than 50 individuals.