The 1997 IUCN (World Conservation Union) Red List of Threatened Animals is also here, an inventory of threatened species and subspecies. The site contains a really useful list of animals, birds and marine life under threat, with background information on each species that is good for school research projects.
Another interesting link at this site is to maps of the diversity and conservation status of forests around the world. These maps are great if you're a student conducting environmental research for a term paper. A similar link connects you with some pretty lengthy explanations on international parks and protected areas - policy, legislation, administration, management and the like.
You also can dig into marine statistics and protected areas. Closely associated is the WCMC's Coral Reefs and Mangroves of the World links. This site contains basic explanations of coral reefs and mangroves, along with a world map that at the moment only identifies coral reefs of the Maldives and Australia (Great Barrier Reef). The maps aren't that great but they're better than nothing.
The site also provides a "what's new" section that contains interesting updates on WCMC activities such as release of its "detailed scientific review of the state of coral reefs: Reefs at Risk." Another example is the WCMC's brief review of the toxic waste spill from a mine in Spain in April 1998. According to the site's report, "The toxic waste entered the Agrio River, a tributary of the Guadiamar River, which feeds the swamps of the Guadalquivir situated within Doñana National Park and the Natural Park of the Environment of Doñana. The Natural Park is a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, as well as part of UNESCO's global network of Biosphere Reserves. The National Park is a World Heritage site."
WCMC also is where I ran into the CITES web site. CITES stands for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which boasts membership of 143 countries that ban commercial international trade in an agreed list of endangered species and by regulating and monitoring trade in others that might become endangered. Look here for information on a list of the members countries, Protected Species, CITES Documents, Text of the Convention, Biodiversity Treaties (CIESIN), Conservation Databases (WCMC) and a list of International nongovernment organizations (NGOs) working to support CITES (FFI - Fauna & Flora International, IUCN - The World Conservation Union, TRAFFIC International - Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce, WCMC - World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature).
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