Although the quality of life has improved over the past decades with the introduction of new technological advances but the damages made to the earth weigh more. As technology advances more factories are built. These factories dispose waste materials into natural water, which causes harm to aquatic life. Emissions from the factories and automobiles pollute the air. Increase in pollution and change in climatic patterns have become a major concern today. Depletion of natural resources can be termed as one of the irreversible damages done to earth.

All these have led earth to a number of serious problems that now questions the existence of ecosystem for our coming generations. Threatened and endangered species are the most vulnerable to additional pressures. For that reason, the vast and far-reaching impacts of global warming have a massive negative impact on these plants and animals. In one stroke, climate change has introduced a new threat to edge a tremendous number of imperilled species ever closer to extinction.

While many of us are aware that polar bears and Arctic seas are in a crisis mode, very few of us have heard about the other species and ecosystems arriving at the emergency room door because of climate change.

To change the situation and put a stop to the growing numbers of endangered species, organisations like the World Wildlife Fund has been working for over 50 years now. WWF’s experience over nearly half a century has shown that species conservation is vital. Its conservation efforts have brought many animals back from the brink of extinction and it has helped not only to conserve the rich and varied ecosystems but has also helped in delivered real benefits to local people through new livelihood opportunities and sustainable development.

From the Amazon to the Arctic, WWF aims at building a future where human needs are met in harmony with nature. It also claims that by 2020 WWF will conserve 19 of the world’s most important natural places and will significantly change the global forces to protect the future of nature. It is already conserving some of the largest tropical rain forests, the most diverse coral reefs, and the world’s most endangered species.

More amphibian species are endangered than any single animal group, a whopping 1,811 species according to the IUCN. This accounts for around 31 percent of all known amphibians. Habitat loss and pollution appear to be the major causes.

The California tiger salamander is a dark, stocky amphibian with white or yellow spots and a broad, rounded snout. It spends most of its time on land but migrates to ponds, lakes and reservoirs to breed. This species is a critical component of the California ecosystem and was once found throughout California’s Central Valley and the foothills of the Coast Ranges. Habitat loss and predation by non-native species now threaten the California tiger salamander throughout its range.

Chinese giant salamanders are a flattened salamander with a broad head and mottled brown body. They inhabit rivers and streams in the temperate and tropical mountains of China. Often growing to a length of 6 feet or more, they are among the largest amphibians in the world. Their numbers are currently in decline due to collection by humans, environmental pollution and loss of habitat.

A toad is an amphibian with a large, wide head; front limbs that are much smaller than the back limbs; a large mouth; and large protruding eyes. The western leopard toad is the largest South African toad. It has large brown patches on a greenish body and a vertical yellow stripe down its back. Its numbers are in decline due to loss of habitat and because of frequent collisions with vehicles.

The blue-sided tree frog has golden eyes, a green-blue back, blue sides and a pinkish underbelly. It has long slender limbs and suction toes that enable it to jump easily from branch to branch within the forest canopy. It is found in the moist tropical and subtropical regions of Costa Rica but its numbers are in rapid decline due to pollution, loss of habitat and collection by humans.

Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.