World losing mixture of plants, animal species at accelerated rate

(Canadian Press) Plants, animals and the places where they live are being wiped out at a quickening pace, leading to a loss of biodiversity that could threaten whole ecosystems, say scientists meeting in South Africa this week. The international group of experts warns that Canada and more than 100 other signatories to a UN convention have failed to live up to a pledge to significantly reduce biodiversity loss by 2010. Andrew Hendry, a biologist at McGill University in Montreal, said while there are hopeful signs some countries might be altering the way they manage species and protect habitats, the overall picture remains grim. "Biodiversity is continuing and, in some places, it's worsening," Hendry said before heading to a four-day conference in Cape Town that starts Tuesday.