as you mention treesparrow, the climate spin is there
WWF’s “Ten to Watch in 2010” list:
WWF’s list of “10 to Watch in 2010” includes such well-known and beloved species as tigers, polar bears, pandas, and rhinos, as well as lesser-known species such as bluefin tuna and mountain gorillas. WWF scientists say these, and many other species, are at greater risk than ever before because of habitat loss, poaching, and climate change-related threats. This year's watch list includes five species directly impacted by climate change, as well as the monarch butterfly, the species at the center of an endangered biological phenomenon. Tigers are at the forefront of this year's list, with the official Year of the Tiger slated to begin in February 2010.
The fact that the majority of the species listed this year are being directly or indirectly impacted upon by climate change underlines the urgent need for world leaders to hammer out a legally-binding global climate deal. Thanks to the efforts of WWF, a number of species around the world have already been brought back from the brink. However, if the world’s climate remains broken then the successes we’ve had in reducing poaching and protecting habitats will begin to unravel.
“While the world is forced to wait for a new legally-binding climate deal, we need to encourage more local action to reduce emissions. If our global governments continue to fail us, we must act locally.
(emphasis mine)
The list is as follows, including the climate change spin, which is also the top 5
1Tiger (sea level rise, due to climate change, threatens the mangrove habitat of a key tiger population in Bangladesh’s and India’s Sundarbans.)
2 Polar Bear (many polar bear populations will be vulnerable to extinction within the next century if warming trends in the Arctic continue at the current pace.)
3 Pacific Walrus (These animals use floating ice for resting, birthing and nursing calves, and protection from predators. With Arctic ice melting, the Pacific walrus is experiencing habitat loss)
4 Magellanic Penguin (Once threatened primarily by oil spills, Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus), now face a larger threat as fish are displaced by warming ocean currents, forcing the birds to swim farther to find food.)
5 Leatherback Turtle (Additionally, rising sea levels and higher temperatures on Atlantic beaches pose a new threat to turtles and their offspring. Nest temperature strongly determines the sex of offspring, and a nest warming trend is reducing the number of male turtles.)
6 Bluefin Tuna
7 Mountain Gorilla
8 Monarch Butterfly
9 Javan Rhinoceros
10 Giant Panda
