The International Union for Conservation of Nature makes a stark prediction for the next 100 years. During that time span, it says that 99.9% of critically endangered species and 67% of endangered species will be lost. After that, it will take nature 3-5 million years to return to Earth's current biodiversity. The "best case" was derived by researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark.
The reason it will take the Earth millions of years to recover is because evolution cannot keep up with the rate at which humans are causing mammals to become extinct. Because species that are more "evolutionarily distinct" are at higher risk of extinction, the study's findings could help conservationists decide where to focus their preservation efforts.
