Hainan gibbon
  
A list published today features 100 of the most threatened animals, plants and fungi on the planet.
 
They are some of nature’s wonders and in danger of being lost to us all.
 
From the hunted 150 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys to the 100 remaining pairs of spoon-billed sandpipers, they are the rarest creatures on Earth. 
 
‘All the species listed are unique and irreplaceable,’ said Ellen Butcher of the Zoological Society of London. 
 
‘If they vanish, no amount of money can bring them back. However, if we take immediate action we can give them a fighting chance for survival. But this requires society to support the moral and ethical position that all species have an inherent right to exist.’
 
Among the creatures on the list is the Hainan gibbon, which is clinging on to survival with just 20 animals left as its habitat is destroyed by illegal deforestation in China. 
 
New conservation areas in Madagascar are being set up to help save numbers of Tarzan’s chameleon, while a tiny corner of Pembrokeshire is the only place in the world that the brightly coloured willow blister plant can call home.
 
In the Philippines, the Attenborough pitcher plant is at risk from poachers. It is named after naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who said: ‘This project is clearly a most valuable initiative, focusing attention as it does on species that are particularly endangered.’ 
 
The report Priceless or Worthless? will be presented at the World Conservation Congress in South Korea on Tuesday.
 
Its authors hope it will push the conservation of ‘worthless’ creatures up the agenda. 
 
 
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