What are the main threats that put mammal species at risk of extinction?

Human activities are the primary drivers of extinction for mammal species, with nearly all threatened species at risk due to human-induced factors. The principal threats include:12

• Habitat Loss and Degradation: This is the leading cause of global biodiversity decline. It involves the destruction, fragmentation, or disruption of natural environments due to deforestation, agriculture, and urban development.123
• Invasive Species: Non-native species can outcompete native mammals for resources, prey upon them, or introduce new diseases, severely disrupting established ecosystems.134
• Climate Change: Rising temperatures and shifting climate conditions force species to migrate or face extinction if they cannot adapt to their changing environments.12
• Pollution: Chemical and environmental pollutants place significant stress on ecosystems and the species that inhabit them.123
• Unsustainable Hunting and Poaching: The illegal or excessive killing of animals for commercial profit, sport, or traditional medicine has critically depleted populations of many mammals, including elephants, rhinoceroses, and great apes.125

Protecting these species is a moral imperative, as human actions are responsible for current extinction rates that are estimated to be 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than natural background rates.12