This week, the Brazilian government released a list of endangered animals, and the report shows that the number of endangered species has tripled in only two decades. The Minister of the Environment, Carlos Minc, points to deforestation and overdevelopment caused by industry and agriculture as the culprits.

The list includes 489 new species, including the blue whale, the albatross and the northeastern uru. The complete list includes 627 animals, but fortunately, 79 species were taken off the 1989 list. The government blames illegal loggers and ranchers, and claims it has been unable to stop rapid deforestation.

Also, animal trafficking in Brazil is a a billion dollar industry, and also plays a role. The majority of the species in danger of exintinction live in the Amazon and the Pantanal, the regions most affected by development.