Welcome to The Sixth Extinction! A website about the current extinction or biodiversity crisis. Extinction is a natural feature of evolution because for some species to succeed, others must fail. Since life began, about 99 percent of the earth's species have disappeared and, on at least five occasions, huge numbers have died out in a relatively short time. The most recent of these mass extinctions, about 65 million years ago, swept away the dinosaurs and many other forms of life. However, despite such catastrophes, the total number of living species has, until recently, followed a generally upward trend.

Today, the extinction rate is increasing rapidly as a result of human interference in natural ecosystems. Primates, tropical birds, and many amphibians are particularly threatened. For the foreseeable future, this decline is set to continue because evolution generates new species far more slowly than the current rate of extinction. A new and current mass extinction commonly referred as The Sixth Extincion.

Photo: This iconic image of a bagged Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) featuring Mr. Weaver in a studio portrait is repeatedly published yet it is not attributed. It may have been taken by Victor Albert Prout who sojourned briefly in Tasmania in the late 1860s but is known and praised for his excellent panoramas of Sydney Harbour by contemporary photohistorians. This image is of Australian origin and is now in the public domain because its term of copyright has expired. According to the Australian Copyright Council(ACC), ACC Information Sheet G23 (Duration of copyright) (Feb 2008). This applies also to the European Union, the United States, Australia and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years.

Year of the Bat 2011-2012

Bats save the farming industry millions of dollars each year, help sustain the world's forests and, in some countries, are a major tourist attraction. These animals - described as 'one of the planet's most misunderstood and persecuted mammals' - are now flying out of the night and into the spotlight for a two-year-long celebration. The UNEP-backed 'Year of the Bat' will promote conservation, research and education on the world's only flying mammals. It will draw attention to the world's 1100 bat species - around half of which are currently at risk.

During the 'Year of the Bat', the Sixth Extinction website will bring attention to the bat species that are missing (possibly extinct) or have already disappeared from this planet, like the Guam Flying Fox, Lesser Mascarene Flying Fox, Bory's White Bat, Giant Vampire Bat and the Christmas Island Pipistrelle.

Don't forget the plants

Not only animals became extinct in recent times and are disappearing even today! The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Version 2010.4) has listed 85 plant species and 10 subspecies that became extinct after 1500 CE. Although it does not really belong to the kingdom of plants this website will show you the Bennett’s Seaweed (Vanvoorstia bennettiana), a species of red algae.

Photo: The last remaining Saint Helena Olive (Nesiota elliptica) showed signs of ill health and in 2003 deteriorated extremely quickly following a dry winter resulting into the extinction of this species. © Rebecca Cairns-Wicks. All right reserved.

Stop extinction! How can you help?

Why should we care? The are numerous reasons: Living organisms keep the planet habitable; Goods and services provided by natural ecosystems have a huge monetary value; Many species are of immense value to humans as sources of food, medicines, fuel and building materials; Wild animals and plants form a critical contribution to food sources and livelihoods in many areas particularly in countries with high levels of poverty and food insecurit; The diversity of nature helps meet the recreational, emotional, cultural, spiritual and aesthetic needs of people; And just because other species have the right to exist on this planet beside us humans. How can you help preventing more extinctions? You can make a difference...read more.

Message from Martha