The number of threatened species has grown by an average rate of 5% every year, from 10,533 in 1998 to 16,928 in 2008 (blue dots). At this pace, the number of threatened species will double every 14 years. Exponential forecasts based on the available actual data (red line) suggest they will total more than 25,000 by 2015. The damage to biodiversity is staggering.
Number of threatened species | ||
Year | Actual data | Forecast ¹ |
| 1998 | 10,533 | 9,458 |
| 1999 | 10,025 | |
| 2000 | 11,046 | 10,627 |
| 2001 | 11,265 | |
| 2002 | 11,167 | 11,940 |
| 2003 | 12,259 | 12,657 |
| 2004 | 15,503 | 13,416 |
| 2005 | 14,221 | |
| 2006 | 16,117 | 15,075 |
| 2007 | 16,308 | 15,979 |
| 2008 | 16,928 | 16,938 |
| 2009 | 17,954 | |
| 2010 | 19,031 | |
| 2011 | 20,173 | |
| 2012 | 21,384 | |
| 2013 | 22,667 | |
| 2014 | 24,027 | |
| 2015 | 25,468 | |
| ¹ Forecast by areppim using the exponential function [f(x) = 9457.95 × 1.06 ^ x], based on the regression of actual data for 1998-2008. | ||
Sources: see IUCN
