This is just a taste of the type of information compiled by the WCMC. You'll also find species databases on the world's threatened animals and plants, including access to the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals, the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants and the The World List of Threatened Trees Protected Areas.
Another link takes you to the 1993 UN List of National Parks and Protected Areas and other information. There are Forest Maps and statistics on the world's forests, Marine Maps and statistics on the world's marine and coastal resources, and National Biodiversity Profiles Facts and figures on the state of biological diversity for a number of countries. I'm quoting freely here
Plants, like trees, tend to get a lot less media play than animals and birds, but there is a list of plants of concern that you can search if you are curious. I searched for my favorite genus, Rhipsalis, and turned up a few species of concern.
If you're into birds--deep into birds--you can take a gander (no pun intended) at the Arctic Bird Library where you'll find a list of birds, which is interesting if you're a bird watcher because it contains species you probably have seen. It's interesting to reflect on how far the birds migrate. The site also provides a unique map of breeding range but I confess I don't understand the map and didn't spend a lot of time playing with it. It requires java capability and even on a cable modem the download time was a little annoying.
I really like the Maps and statistics on the world's marine and coastal resources where you can pick a country from a drop-down list and dig up a lot of information. Students would be interested in this site for research projects. Coral Reefs and Mangroves of the World also would be of interest to students writing term papers.
This site is not what I'd call lite, but it might be of interest to number of people.
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