DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Time for animal news now, and for some conservationists, the future, they say, doesn't look good for some of the world's plants and animals. Those conservationists have released frightening facts about the number of species that are dying off, and humans are being blamed. CNN's David George reports on the new endangered species list.</s>DAVID GEORGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Elephants, tigers, gorillas are here today, but could be gone tomorrow. That's according to one of the world's most comprehensive assessments of biodiversity, the World Conservation Union's Red List. In the first update of the list in four years, the group paints a bleak picture. More than 11,000 species face a high risk of extinction in the near future, 5,400 animals and 5,600 plants. Included are some of the usual suspects, like rhinos and orangutans, but there are some surprises. Six primate species joined the list, due to the bush meat trade in parts of Asia and Africa. Not surprising is the primary cause cited for the near extinctions: humans. Some of the culprits include commercial fishing, the use of threatened and endangered species in Asian medicine, and habitat loss due to deforestation, farming and urban sprawl. The Red List offers some possible solutions, such as increasing the global commitment of manpower and money for habitat protection and biodiversity research. Scientists still don't know how many plants and animals exist, but the report says, if this trend continues, many critical species could go extinct before they're even discovered. David George, CNN.
World Conservation Union's Red List Paints Bleak Picture on Biodiversity