And never before has nature's greatest orchestration been so threatened. In 1992, less than 200,000 remain. Species Extinction Distinguished scientists estimate an average of 137 species of life forms are driven into extinction every day, or 50,000 each year. Within the next hour approximately six species will become extinct. While extinction is a natural process, the alarming rate of extinction today, comparable only to the extinction of the dinosaurs, is specifically human-induced and unprecedented.
Experts agree that the number-one cause of extinction is habitat destruction.
Quite simply, when habitat is reduced, species disappear. In the rainforests, logging, cattle ranching, mining, oil extraction, hydroelectric dams and subsistence farming are the leading causes of habitat destruction. Indirectly, the leading threats to rainforest ecosystems are unbridled development, funded by international aid-lending institutions such as the World Bank, and the voracious consumer appetites of industrialized nations. If deforestation continues at current rates, scientists estimate nearly 80-90 percent of tropical rainforest ecosystems will be destroyed by the year 2020. Deforestation Rates in Tropical Forests and Their Climatic Implications.