Thursday, January 18, 2007

New acronym: Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) program

The new Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered programme (EDGE) takes an interesting approach to conservation. EDGE species are both Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered. Every mammal species has been scored according to the amount of unique evolutionary history it represents, and its conservation status according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

From this scoring system, EDGE produced a Top 100 EDGE mammals list. Amazingly, about two-thirds of these, including the number one listed Yangtze River dolphin, are receiving little or no conservation attention!

Started in January 2007 by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), EDGE aims to conserve the world's most Evolutionarily Distinct and
Globally Endangered species by implementing the research and conservation actions needed to secure their future.

The EDGE website has a blog, downloadable database of endangered species, and advanced search features. You can learn more here: http://www.edgeofexistence.org/home.asp

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