Almost one in six European mammals, including the Iberian lynx and the Mediterranean monk seal, face extinction, according to an assessment by the World Conservation Union.

Thirty-five of the continent's 231 mammal species fall into the threatened category, according to a 60-page report from the conservation group, also known as IUCN.

Threatened mammals included those species that were vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered.

The five critically endangered animals are the Iberian lynx, Mediterranean monk seal, Saiga antelope, North Atlantic right whale and the Bavarian pine vole, a rodent native to the Alps.

The IUCN said the threats to European animals include degradation and destruction of their habitats through activities such as deforestation and wetlands drainage.

The study found 15 per cent of mammals are threatened, a ratio that rises to 22 per cent for marine mammals. By comparison, 13 per cent of European birds are threatened with extinction.

The report also found that two species on the brink of extinction — the European bison and the Alpine ibex, a relative of the mountain goat — have recovered thanks to efforts to reintroduce them to their habitats.

The group said in the last 500 years, two European land animals — the cattle ancestor aurochs and the rabbit-like Sardinian pika — have been driven to extinction.

The report was released Tuesday, May 22, the International Day for Biological Diversity.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement on Tuesday, warning that "biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate."

"The global response to these challenges needs to move much more rapidly, and with more determination at all levels — global, national and local. For the sake of current and future generations, we must achieve the goals of these landmark instruments," he said.