According to the IPBES, the global rate of species extinction today is much higher than the average rate in the past ten million years. Biodiversity loss can damage ecosystem processes such as pollination, water purification and seed dispersal among others. Institutions such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), headquartered in Switzerland, have been documenting various species around the world that are in danger of going extinct. However, some experts feel that the IUCN Red List is not exhaustive, especially when it comes to categories such as invertebrates and fungi. Besides, scientists believe that a large majority of species are yet to be described. This means there is a danger that “many unknown organisms will wink out of existence before they can be recorded.”

 

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