Sustainable practices could greatly reduce species extinction risk

Crop and timber production are two of the biggest drivers of declining wildlife populations, and collectively contribute 40 percent of the overall extinction risk of mammals, birds, and amphibians. Sustainable crop and timber production could greatly reduce terrestrial species extinctions, according to a new report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). For the investigation, the researchers used a new metric that allows businesses and governments to assess their potential contributions to global species extinction risk. The tool can be used to calculate regional …