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The black-footed ferret. Photo IUCN. Full size or  display gallery

Mammals are in crisis throughout the world, with one in four species facing extinction in the near future. This is the latest assessment of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, revealed during the World Conservation Congress (5-14 October 2008) organised by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (link provided below).

Locusts threaten China grain harvest. The areas affected are in north-eastern China and in far western Xinjiang. According to some reports these are the worst infestations in a quarter century, with swarms of up to several thousand locusts per square metre. This outbreak is blamed on the severe drought that has affected these regions in the last two years. The Ministry of Agriculture warns that unless the outbreak is controlled, massive losses could affect this year's grain harvest.

Indonesia plans extensive forest clearance in Papua for palm oil plantations. The Indonesian authorities in Papua are reported to have announced the opening of 15 million acres (6m hectares) of land for palm oil plantations. Yet this province is the only part of Indonesia where extensive forest cover remains. Elsewhere, in Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan it is either gone or degraded. Indonesia has also the fastest rate of deforestation in the world, at almost 1.9 million hectares per year. See links below (Planet Ark, Greenpeace).