With millions of species present on the planet, this diversity is drastically hit every year. With time, this extinction rate is increasing than what could have happened naturally. And the loss of forests is further fueling the rate of loss. In the last 20 years, the following forest-dependent species have vanished from the planet.

• Formosan Clouded Leopard: This was a big cat species found on Taiwan’s island that went extinct in 2013. The largest carnivore, second to the Formosan black bear is known to have vanished because of lowland forest fragmentation and loss. With its native forest place turned into agricultural land, the cat was forced to move to higher elevations before extinction.
• Spix’s Macaw: An inspiration for characters in Rio, 2011 animated film, Spix’s Macaw was known as the rarest species of parrots. These birds were native to the arid lowland forests of Brazil’s northeast and interior regions. The reason for their extinction is believed to be the clearance of Tabebuia Caraiba trees, which were crucial for their habitat.
• Mount Glorious Torrent Frog: The lists of endangered species include at least one of every three amphibians out there. The small diurnal frog, Mount Glorious Torrent Frog, was native to only three of Australia’s eastern coast mountain ranges. From a common species in the 70s to an extinct one in 2004, the frogs disappeared due to a loss in the tree cover belonging to their habitat.
• Cryptic Treehunter: This species of small bird was found endangered in 2014 on the discovery of their being different from others. The loss is credited to shifting agriculture in Eastern Brazil where the species was widespread.

While private forests might not bring these species back, they can contribute to rectifying the ecological imbalance with the right onsite forest assessments.