Species Factsheets

Our neighbours in crisis

On beaches all around the world, it used to be common to see a marine turtle painstakingly heaving herself up the slope to dig a nest and lay her eggs. In doing so, she was taking part in a life cycle that's been ongoing for millenia.

So what's changed?

Today, there are more humans and more threats.

From the beach, where poachers may wait with a knife for her shell, leather and meat, to the sea where dangers range from the very large (fishing nets) to the invisible (life-threatening pollutants), this cycle is breaking down, fast.

Along with turtles, other species such as rhinos, tigers, gorillas and countless other animals and plants share a similar fate.

Facts that speak for themselves

• In the Pacific, leatherback turtles face extinction.
  
• Giant pandas have lost half their habitat in the past few decades.
  
• More than 90% of tiger populations disappeared in the 20th century: today, only around 5,000 individuals remain.
  
• And javan and northern white rhinos have become two of the most endangered large mammals on Earth.