Learn more about the extinction crisis.

Donate to our fight against extinction.

The Center's 2009 television ad to save the polar bear is still ranked in the nation's top 20. Check it out and take action.

THE EXTINCTION CRISIS – GET THE MESSAGE OUT

 

Extinction is the most serious, irreversible impact humans have on the planet.  And right now, we're in the middle of the sixth mass extinction event in the planet's 4.5 billion-year history. But surprisingly few Americans have ever heard of the extinction crisis, and even fewer believe it's happening.

The Center for Biological Diversity — with our supporters' help — is changing that. In addition to fighting extinction head on through defending hundreds of imperiled species with scientific petitions and smart legal action, we're using creative media to educate the public about the crisis. 

This fall, we asked for your help to produce a hard-hitting television ad showing how overpopulation, habitat destruction, global warming, and pollution are driving species extinct at an unprecedented rate. We've just returned from filming the ad in the very place where the Center was born 20 years ago and we're in the exciting stage of pulling it all together. We want to  launch the — and the hundreds of species threatened with extinction can't wait. The generous support of our members has helped get production rolling, ensuring that we'll create a compelling ad to educate millions of people about the scariest problem facing the natural world today.

Here's what most people don't know, but need to:

● Up to 30,000 species per year are going extinct: three per hour.
● Fifty percent of all primates and 100 percent of all great apes are threatened with extinction.
● Three of the world's eight tiger subspecies became extinct in the past 60 years; the remaining five are all endangered.
● Humans have already driven 20 percent of all birds extinct.
● Twelve percent of mammals, 12 percent of birds, 31 percent of reptiles, 30 percent of amphibians, and 37 percent of fish are threatened with extinction.

The Center's polar bear television ad has been seen more than 90 million times nationwide since airing in January 2009. We know these ads can have a big impact.  Just imagine what our new ad, focusing on hundreds of species, will accomplish.

Learn more about the extinction crisis and make a donation to help us fight it today.

Then check out this slideshow from the ad's shooting:



White-headed lemur photo courtesy Flickr Commons/Frank Vassen