Barcelona  - The disappearance of whole species is an irreversible problem that is worse than the ongoing financial crisis, reported the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as it closed a world conference in Barcelona Tuesday.

"The message from the meeting is this: species variety guarantees the well-being of human society and the economy," said IUCN General Director Julia Marton-Lefevre.

During the ten-day conference, the IUCN released its "red list," which highlights that a third of all animal and plant species are threatened with extinction. About a quarter of all mammals are threatened by this crisis.

The group also warned about the consequences for humans and the environment from growing biofuel production and called for a drastic reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Spain and Japan announced that they are prepared to temporarily suspend fishing of the threatened tuna. A broader initiative will be considered by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas in November in Morocco.

About 7,000 government representative and experts from almost 150 countries participated. (dpa)