Two reptile species endemic to the Philippines are now included in the “Red List of Threatened Species,” based on the latest list released on Tuesday by Switzerland-based International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

IUCN said the endangered Panay Monitor Lizard or Varanus mabitang was included in the list.

The quick loss of Panay Monitor Lizard is aggravated by the loss and degradation of lowland forest habitat through conversion of land for agricultural use and logging activities.

It said serious threat to the remaining population of the species is the hunting by humans for food.

Likewise, the semi-aquatic Sail-fin Water Lizard or Hydrosaurus pustulatus is considered vulnerable to extinction by habitat loss due to conversion of wooded land to alternative uses such as agriculture and logging.

IUCN said there are only two species of Hydrosaurus in the Philippines and both are principally threatened.

It added that the Sail-fin Water Lizard, especially its hatchlings, are heavily collected for both the pet trade and for local consumption.

“In some parts of its range it is additionally threatened by water pollution resulting from the use of agrochemicals and increased sedimentation,” IUCN said.

Both species are included in the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The IUCN Red List showed that 17,291 species out of the 47,677 assessed species are threatened with extinction. The results revealed that 21 percent of all known mammals, 30 percent of all known amphibians, 12 percent of all known birds, and 28 percent of reptiles, 37 percent of freshwater fishes, 70 percent of plants, 35 percent of invertebrates assessed are under threat. “The scientific evidence of a serious extinction crisis is mounting,” IUCN Biodiversity Conservation Group director Jane Smart said.