"Biologist warn of early stages of Earth's sixth mass ..." Topic

…extinction event.

"The planet's current biodiversity, the product of 3.5 billion years of evolutionary trial and error, is the highest in the history of life. But it may be reaching a tipping point. Scientists caution that the loss and decline of animals is contributing to what appears to be the early days of the planet's sixth mass biological extinction event. Since 1500, more than 320 terrestrial vertebrates have become extinct. Populations of the remaining species show a 25 percent average decline in abundance. The situation is similarly dire for invertebrate animal life…"
Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

Habitat loss – although they had to bow to the climate god (compare biodiversity in the tropics to the Arctic).

Another great argument for raising living standards around the globe – people who are not fighting for survival on a daily basis have the luxury of preserving wilderness.

The local (Brisbane Australian) paper ran a story on a particular type of possum that lives here on 1 mountain's cloud forested top. It is much different to other species of Australian, and from photos has whitish yellow fur (cuddly toy type animal). Apparently, in 2005 a heat wave killed most of the population. Only 4 adults remain and the species is now effectively extinct.

Bring it on!!!

Pity about the possum. Surviving those deadly heat waves in the early 1900s just to get wiped out by a lesser heat wave in 2005.

I suspect each drought/heat wave took it's toll and the population progressively dwindled; + habitat loss had restricted it to a single mountain top forest.