The top 15 of animals most likely to become extinct : Wildlife Extra News - 15 animal species have the lowest chance for survival
If you scroll down to the bottom it gives four (I think) reasons for these species likely becoming extinct. Everyone talks about habitat loss, which is top on the list and certainly a huge problem. But in popular articles (based on the small amount I read here and there) no one talks about the second problem and I think the average person does not think of it as a major conservation issue. They think of it as a human rights issue (which it is) but not as a conservation issue (which it equally is). That issue is political instability as the article puts it, or as I would put it political corruption. There are lots of places in the world where so called natural areas are protected on paper but in reality government officials get payoffs to let them be ransacked.
Another thing about the problems with political instability (also, often in places that are just starting to develop) is the low priority that is given to protecting nature. Developing infrastructure, government etc. is (understandably) given a greater priority and even if places are protected on paper, that doesn't mean that anyone is enforcing it. An example of this that I have seen is Abijatta-Shalla National Park in Ethiopia which is protected but there is no one enforcing it so large areas are being farmed for corn and grazed for cattle by people coming into the national park, this is not allowed but there is no (or not enough) funding given to the park to do anything about it.
