Approximate percentage of the world's monkeys, apes and other primates that are going extinct. Here's what the latest report of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world's oldest and largest global environmental network reveals: Out of 634 recognized species and subspecies listed by IUCN, 11 percent are Critically Endangered, 22 percent are Endangered, while a further 15 percent are listed as Vulnerable. Asia has the greatest proportion of threatened primates, with 71 percent considered at risk of extinction. The five nations with the highest percentage of endangered species are Cambodia (90%), Vietnam (86%), Indonesia (84%), Laos (83%), and China (79%). Why? Because of habitat destruction, through the burning and clearing of tropical forests, hunting of primates for food and an illegal wildlife trade, the wildlife trade in traditional Chinese medicine, among other reasons. IUCN is a democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and NGO member organizations, and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries.
