Tropical Parks Fail to Protect Animals and Plants [Slide Show]

A new survey shows that even protected areas are failing to stem the tide of plant and animal extinctions

ILLEGAL HUNTING: The skull of a young forest elephant in southern Gabon testifies to continued hunting even inside protected reserves—another driver of extinction risk. © Ralph Buij
GREEN IGUANA: The iguana is one of the species that continue to thrive, expanding its range as a result of humans spreading the lizard around the world as well as protections that prohibit its trade. © Christian Ziegler, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, ZieglerPhotos.com
SILKY ANTEATER: Also found on Barro Colorado, the diminutive silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) is the only remaining species of the Cyclopes genus. © Christian Ziegler, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, ZieglerPhotos.com
TREE FROG: The red-eyed tree frog has become an international symbol of products certified to protect the environment by the Rainforest Alliance. But the red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) found on Barro Colorado Island off the coast of Panama, among other places in Central America, remains under threat, despite living in one of the protected areas of tropical forest surveyed in the study. © Christian Ziegler, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, ZieglerPhotos.com
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BIG CAT: The Asian tiger once spread throughout the Indian subcontinent but has dwindled to a few thousand animals lingering in protected reserves. But tiger numbers continue to decline despite these protected areas. © Ashish Gautamm / Flickr
DEFORESTATION: Humans continue to clear the forests surrounding many protected areas, like the deforestation pictured here along the edge of Bukit Palong National Park in Malaysia. In place of the native forest, an oil palm plantation will be grown. © William Laurance

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