In case you didn't know, the United Nations has declared 2010 the Year of Biodiversity. What that means besides focusing attention on the fact that biodiversity losses get overshadowed by more of-the-moment enviro topics is beyond me, but there you are.
Starting off the year, WWF has released a list of 10 endangered species to watch in 2010. These are all your A-list endangered species, and there are plenty of less eye-grabbing ones to also consider, but nevertheless without more habitat protection, the prognosis for all of these isn't good.
Heck, there are only 3200 tigers left in the entire world, with the iconic big cats occupying just 7% of their historic range--a figure which has declined 40% since 2000. The main threats: Habitat loss due to deforestation (read: human activity) and rampant poaching for body parts and skins.
photo: Rob Annis via flickr.