The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently released an extremely worrying report that addresses the possible extinction of a quarter of the world’s mammals. The global analysis notes that there is direct threat on at least 1,141 of the 5,487 mammals found on Earth, as their habitat is being ruined by humans and also because of the careless hunting missions. "Mammals are definitely declining, and the driving factors are habitat destruction and over-harvesting," said Jan Schipper, the paper's lead author and also IUCN's global mammals assessment coordinator.

The Union’s study concluded that more than half of all mammal species have recorded declines in population over the past few years. The assessment involved more than 1,700 experts from 170 countries and demanded five years to complete. The overview was made public at the quadrennial World Conservation Congress of the IUCN, and provided details on all the 5,487 species.

‘’Within our lifetime hundreds of species could be lost as a result of our own actions, a frightening sign of what is happening to the ecosystems where they live,’’ warned IUCN’s director general Julia Marton-Lefevre. She also added that some conservation actions should be immediately prepared in order ‘’to ensure our enduring legacy is not to wipe out many of our closest relatives.’’

Primates seem to face some of the biggest dangers as according to the survey, 79 percent of all primates located in South and Southeast Asia -- including the Hainan gibbon -- are facing extinction. Conservation International president Russ Mittermeier, one of the study’s co-authors and also a primate specialist, explained that the news is not at all surprising considering the level of habitat destruction, high population pressures and hunting missions for food and medical tests. He underlined the fact that several areas in Vietnam and Cambodia will soon face ‘an empty forest syndrome.’

With other species, the situation is even worse: an island off China’s southeast coast hosts the last 19 Hainan gibbons left in the wild, which is considered a significant improvement from last year's dozen.

For many other species spread all over the world, the researchers used the newest technology available in order to ensure a reliable result. The process demanded the use of satellites, radio tagging, camera tracking and also satellite-based GPS (global positioning system) mapping.

One of the few optimistic conclusions of the study is that not all species face these dangers. "At least 5 percent of currently threatened species have stable or increasing populations," noted the authors.

The conclusion reached by Mittermeier is that in order to effectively protect the endangered habitats, certain areas must be carefully monitored, and all illegal hunting and other forms of exploitation must be prevented. He added that the places where scientific projects are being conducted provide a much safer environment, offering a better chance of surviving for animals. Where you have a research presence, it's as good or better than a guard force," he explained.

Whether the report will actually make a difference remains to be seen but it is surely a big step in the right direction.

Some other of the animals on the list include:

Groupers: squaretail coral grouper (Plectropomus areolatus)

African freshwater crabs: purple marsh crab (Afrithelphusa monodosa)

Amphibians: Holdridge's toad (Incilius holdridgei)

Indian Tarantulas: Rameshwaram parachute spider (Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica)

Mammals: fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), Caspian seal (Pusa caspica), Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), African elephant (Loxodonta africana), grey-faced sengi (Rhynchocyon udzungwensis), Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), Pere David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus)