Red List counts 'on the brink' species (BBC)

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News, Rio de Janeiro

East Asia's status as the world's main "extinction hotspot" is confirmed in the new Red List of Threatened Species.

Snakes such as the king cobra, the world's largest venomous serpent, are increasingly threatened by hunting for meat, skin and the pet trade.

The Red List was unveiled at the Rio+20 sustainable development meeting.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which compiles the list, says it shows the importance of nature for human wellbeing.

One of the themes of the Rio meeting, which comes 20 years after the iconic Earth Summit here, is the "green economy" - an economy that uses the services nature provides more wisely, and safeguards them.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18511312