- The wildlife of developing countries could go the way
of the dodo and great auk unless western nations fund essential conservation
projects, an international conference will be told this week.
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- The Seventh Conference of the Parties on biodiversity,
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, brings together almost 200 countries with the
aim of reducing species extinction rates by 2010. The RSPB, part of BirdLife
International, is calling on First World nations to help achieve this by
honouring commitments to support wildlife and people who have an impact
on it.
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- Deserts, inland lakes, temperate grasslands and marine
areas are among the highest priorities. Less than one per cent of the world's
seas are protected and 88 per cent of coral reefs in south-east Asia, which
sustain rare species such as the cone snail, are threatened by human activity.
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- Endangered birds include the great Indian bustard, of
which there are fewer than 1,000, the hyacinth macaw, the marbled teal
and Seychelles magpie-robin.
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- All thrive in habitats now at risk from logging, agriculture
and development.
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- "Only a major international effort to protect these
crucial areas on which our remaining wildlife depends will save some of
the world's most cherished natural habitats," said Alistair Gammell,
director of international operations at the RSPB.
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- © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2004.
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