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Level 3 – Intermediate
The global extinction crisis
The World Conservation Union has published a report on the situation of animal populations in the world. It has made a list of threatened species. The last list was made in 1996 and since then the number of endangered species has increased dramatically. The report states that a quarter of the world’s mammals face a high risk of extinction. The world should be spending at least ten times more in both human and financial resources if we want to save these animals.
The president of the Union said that many wonderful creatures would be lost unless we greatly increase conservation efforts. For some species it is already too late.
Hunting for food is one of the reasons for the decline in the numbers of many species. Human activities such as clearing forests for agriculture or for wood is another major problem. The animals die when their habitat disappears. The fur trade is on the increase again with thousands of animals being killed for their skins which are sold on the black market.
The situation is alarming and it is clear that a lot more will have to be done very quickly if we want to halt the slide towards extinction.
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Answer the question below to check how well you understand the text.
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C2 Mastery
