Monarch butterfly and long-tailed macaque added to endangered list

Population declines branded ‘wake-up call’ as over 41,000 species now considered at risk of being wiped out

The long-tailed macaque and the monarch butterfly are among species classed as endangered for the first time, as Earth’s biodiversity declines accelerate.

All the world’s remaining 26 sturgeon species are now also officially at risk of extinction, up from 85 per cent in 2009.

Conservationists say the news is a wake-up call for humanity over the climate crisis, deforestation, agriculture and development and wildlife trade.