The 16,119 species facing extinction include hippopotamus, polar bears, desert gazelles, species of freshwater fish and Mediterranean flowers, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) said in its biennial "Red List" of threatened species.

The endangered species include one quarter of the worlds coniferous trees, one in eight bird species and one in four mammals, while ecological damage extends from melting icecaps to dying deserts, the report said.

"The 2006 IUCN Red List shows a clear trend: biodiversity loss is increasing, not slowing down," said IUCN Director General Achim Steiner.

The decline highlighted "the impact mankind is having upon life on earth," the IUCN said in the report, which provides a measure of the road towards an international target of significantly reducing biodiversity loss by 2010.

Steiner said positive action of the kind that has helped the Mekong Catfish in Southeast Asia, Indian vultures and the white tailed eagle in Europe could make a difference.

"Biodiversity cannot be saved by environmentalists alone -- it must become the responsibility of everyone with the power and resources to act," he explained.

"To succeed on a global scale, we need new alliances across all sectors of society."

A total of 40,177 species are assessed in the IUCN Red List.

The polar bear has been moved into the "threatened" category, making it "one of the most notable casualties of global warming," the organisation said.

The shift was due to the melting of Arctic ice floes that allow polar bears to migrate and hunt for seals.

That erosion is expected to lead to a 30-percent decline of the species, which was previously classified as "conservation dependent", over the next 45 years, the IUCN warned.

Africa's iconic hippopotamus is now listed as vulnerable after populations in the strife-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo -- about 30,000 strong just over a decade ago-- declined by 95 percent, partly due to undbridled hunting.

Even rarer pygmy hippos in West Africa have suffered a similar fate amid the anarchy generated by political conflicts and instability.

A first detailed regional assessment of some marine species in the Red List reveals that one-fifth of them are threatened with extinction.

They include fish such as the now critically endangered skate -- once a common sight in markets in northern Europe -- and the angel shark which has disappeared from the North Sea.

Even the the deep sea gulper shark has been unable to escape the onslaught in its natural habitat near the ocean floor, according to the report. In some regions 95 percent of its population has been wiped out by overfishing.

"Marine species are proving to be just as much at risk of extinction as their land-based counterparts: the desperate situation of many sharks and rays is just the tip of the iceberg," said Craig Hilton-Taylor of the IUCN.

Freshwater species are also suffering, including types of carp in countries around the Mediterranean, and one in four freshwater fish in East Africa.

The report underlined their nutritional importance in impoverished areas that are otherwise short on protein-rich food, advocating measured fishing practices that would protect both species and food supplies.

Meanwhile, unregulated hunting is adding to pressure on drylands and deserts, which are "slowly but surely... being emptied of their diverse and specialized wildlife, almost unnoticed," according to the report.

The dama gazelle of the Sahara desert, has been upgraded to "critically endangered" after suffering an 80 percent slump in numbers over the past decade, while other gazelle and antelope species face a growing threat of extinction.

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