Over 10,000 Species Risk Extinction in Amazon, Says Landmark Report 18/07/2021 A jaguar rubs itself against vegetation as it walks through smoke from a fire nearby, in Encontro das Aguas State Park, Brazil, September 2020. Photo: Reuters/Amanda Perobelli/File Photo São Paulo/Bogota: More than 10,000 species of plants and animals are at high risk of extinction due to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest – 35% of which has already been deforested or degraded, according to the draft of a landmark scientific report published on Wednesday. Produced by the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA), the 33-chapter report brings together research on the world’s largest rainforest from 200 scientists from across the globe. It is the most detailed assessment of the state of the forest to date and both makes clear the vital role the Amazon plays in global climate and the profound risks it is facing.