This compilation brings together current information on the status of Asian freshwater cetacean populations, the factors that have caused their recent declines, and what can be done to improve their chances for survival. All of the species or populations in quesion are classified as endangered or critically endangered in the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.
One threat to parrot arises from their attractiveness as "talking" companions to humans, leading to a high demand for trade that involves hundreds of thousands of birds annually on a global basis, and gives parrots a high monetary value. There is an urgent need to change the attitudes of both the many millions who keep parrots, and those who make billions of dollars in trading them.
The family Cracidae is made up of 50 species of guans, curassows and chachalacas - large gregarious game birds, many of which have striking colours. They are important as seed dispersers, biological indicators of the environment, a major protein source for indigenous people, and for ecotourism. Nearly half the species in the family are threatened and several have been pushed to near extinction by wide-spread destruction of tropical forets and over-harvesting.
Les plaines d'inondation des grands fleuves de la zone sahélienne d'Afrique de l'Ouest sont des écosystèmes humides dotés d'une productivité exceptionnelle comparée à celle des habitats arides et semi-arides environnants. Une gestion rationnelle de ces plaines est essentielle si l'on veut que ces écosystèmes importants puissent continuer à fonctionner à l'avenir.
