2010 is the UN Year for biodiversity conservation.  From 18th to 29th October there was a meeting of the countries that have signed the international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)  that aims to strengthen international initiatives to conserve the biodiversity of life on the Planet (see http://www.cbd.int/cop10/)

As a lead up to the meeting the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released the results of a study to investigate the status of the world mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fishes.  Not unexpectedly, the study has found that the decline in the world's biodiversity continues, with, on average, 50 species a year moving closer to extinction (i.e. from a category of lower risk of extinction, to a category of ciritically endangeeree, endangered (threatened) or near threatened.

But I was also heartened to read that conservation efforts ARE making a difference.