Extinction: One third of all lemurs 'on the brink'

A third of all the lemur species on Earth are "one step from extinction".

This is according to the latest update of the Red List, the comprehensive, continually updated report on the status of species.

Human activities, particularly deforestation and hunting, drive the declines in these unique primates.

Such habitat destruction has also been linked to an increased risk of wildlife diseases - like the coronavirus - spilling over into human populations.

The update shows that 33 lemur species - primates unique to Madagascar - are now classified as Critically Endangered, with 103 of the 107 surviving species threatened with extinction. Thirteen lemur species have been "uplisted" - pushed to higher threat categories as a result of these "intensifying human pressures".

Craig Hilton-Taylor from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which produces the list, told BBC News that the current pandemic should give us pause to "ask some difficult questions about our relationship with the natural world".