U.S. biodiversity in jeopardy, study shows

The United States has a greater diversity of major ecosystems than any other country in the world

By Environmental News Network staff

March 17, 2000
Web posted at: 11:50 a.m. EST (1650 GMT)

The United States has twice the biodiversity than previously estimated, researchers say. But the profusion of flora and fauna may be a kind of double jeopardy, according to a Nature Conservancy study released Wednesday.

The study is the most complete inventory of America's plants and animals to date. More than 200,000 native plants and animals — double the previous estimate — were documented.

The study also reveals the United States is one of the most ecologically diverse countries in the world. It is home to 10 percent of all species found on Earth. Every year, some 30 previously unknown species of flowering plants are found in the country, according to the study.

That's the good news. The bad news is included in other key findings in the study:

• As much as a third of the nation's species are at risk and at least 500 species are extinct or missing.
• The single biggest threat to species survival is habitat loss. Nearly 60 percent of America's landscape is already severely altered.

This ringed-map turtle, a rare freshwater species, is at risk due to degraded and polluted rivers, streams and lakes

Despite these trends, there is time to protect the country's natural heritage, the study notes. Scientists are buoyed by the fact that the United States has a greater diversity of major ecosystems, from prairies to tundras to forests to deserts, than any other country in the world.

"The good news is Americans enjoy an incredibly rich natural heritage, from rare fish surviving in desert oases, to the world's tallest trees — California's coastal redwoods — to Hawaii's honeycreepers, colorful birds whose evolutionary story rivals that of the famous Darwin's finches," noted Bruce Stein, lead author of the report. "The bad news is that Americans risk losing much of the wealth if current trends continue."

The study indicates biodiversity "hot spots" — areas where unique species are in danger. They include the San Francisco Bay area, Southern California (including Death Valley), the southern Appalachian Mountains and the Florida Panhandle.

The bristlecone pine is one of the world's oldest living trees

The report is the result of 25 years of research by the conservancy's Natural Heritage network, a program in all 50 United States. The Natural Heritage program maintains a database that contains scientific information about species across the country.

Copyright 2000, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved

No roads where the deer roam, federal judge rules
January 11, 2000
Report: After century of survival, many primates face extinction
January 10, 2000
Will Congress fund newest national forest?
October 30, 1999
Low biodiversity key to Everglades survival
August 10, 1999

Biodiversity is the hot spot to be for conservationists
Freshwater species in peril, study finds
Plant diversity slipping away, report warns
National Biodiversity Network (audio)
Biodiversity and you (audio)
Scientists warn of mass extinction

The Nature Conservancy newsroom

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.