Picture gallery: Future dim for threatened species

By the turn of the 20th century, the white-tailed eagle was nearly eradicated from the whole of western and northern Europe. The first efforts at protection and conservation saw an improvement but numbers began to dwindle once more in the 1950s and 60s. The use of the insecticide DDT was responsible for the reverse trend, which was transferred from the end of the food chain to the white-tailed eagle via microbes and fish. This poison caused the birds' eggs to become thin and brittle. With the ban of DDT at the start of 1970s, numbers began once more to recover. Today, the IUCN regards the species as being "not endangered."

This could be a glowing example of a successful turnaround would it not be for the fact that human beings were also at risk from DDT. As long as "only" animal and plant life are in danger, the prospect of be able to protect the last remaining survivors of these species is doubtful. In the current economic climate, it looks as though banks and struggling corporations will continue to receive the greatest attention.

Author: Michael Gessat / Andrew Shale

Editor: Kate Bowen