Africa: World on Alert as Over 15,000 Species Face Extinction

Global biodiversity is shrinking at an unprecedented rate and the prognosis given by one of the world's leading conservation bodies, at the opening of a major environment conference, is alarming. One in three amphibians and almost half of all freshwater turtles are threatened, on top of the one in eight birds and one in four mammals known to be jeopardy, said the IUCN at its 3rd World Conservation Congress being held in the Thai capital from Nov. 17-25.