"UNITED NATIONS -- Far too many of the world's plants and animals -- and the wild places that support them -- are at risk of collapse, a U.N. report finds, despite a global goal set in 2002 for major improvement by this year.

Frogs and other amphibians are most at risk of extinction, coral reefs are the species deteriorating most rapidly and the survival of nearly a quarter of all plant species is threatened, the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity said Monday in a report issued every four years.

The outlook on the planet's ecological diversity and health is produced under a 1993 treaty since joined by most of the world's nations. It says the planet is falling short of its goal to achieve by this year 'a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national levels.'

Pollution, climate change, drought, deforestation, illegal poaching and overfishing are among the many culprits named."

John Heilprin reports for the Associated Press May 10, 2010. [2]