The disappearance of whole species is an irreversible problem that is worse than the ongoing financial crisis, reported the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as it closed a world conference in Barcelona Tuesday, according to dpa. "The message from the meeting is this: species variety guarantees the well-being of human society and the economy," said IUCN General Director Julia Marton-Lefevre. During the ten-day conference, the IUCN released its "red list," which highlights that a third of all animal and plant species are threatened with extinction. About a quarter of all mammals are threatened by this crisis. The group also warned about the consequences for humans and the environment from growing biofuel production and called for a drastic reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Spain and Japan announced that they are prepared to temporarily suspend fishing of the threatened tuna. A broader initiative will be considered by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas in November in Morocco. About 7,000 government representative and experts from almost 150 countries participated.
