How many percentage of plants and animals are described according to IUCN (2004)

Answer

To solve the question regarding the percentage of plants and animals described according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) in 2004, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the IUCN
The IUCN is an international organization that focuses on the conservation of nature and biodiversity. It provides information on the status of various species and ecosystems.

### Step 2: Identify the Total Number of Described Species
According to the IUCN in 2004, it has described slightly more than 1.5 million species of animals and plants. For our calculations, we can use the figure of 1.5 million.

### Step 3: Determine the Total Number of Known Species
Estimates suggest that there are approximately 8.7 million species of plants and animals on Earth. This includes both described and undescribed species.

### Step 4: Calculate the Percentage of Described Species
To find the percentage of described species, we can use the following formula:

\[ \text{Percentage of described species} = \left( \frac{\text{Number of described species}}{\text{Total number of species}} \right) \times 100 \]

Substituting the values we have:

\[ \text{Percentage of described species} = \left( \frac{1.5 \text{ million}}{8.7 \text{ million}} \right) \times 100 \]

### Step 5: Perform the Calculation
Calculating the above expression:

\[ \text{Percentage of described species} = \left( \frac{1.5}{8.7} \right) \times 100 \approx 17.24\% \]

### Step 6: Conclusion
Thus, according to IUCN (2004), approximately 17.24% of the total species of plants and animals have been described.

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