Going, going, gone...

Every year more than 50,000 animal species become extinct, 60,000 square miles of rainforests are lost, and countless historical sites are destroyed. Whether it’s the collapse of a rock formation in Utah's Arches National Park or the last Yankee’s game played at New York’s historic Yankee Stadium, we are reminded on a daily basis of the urgency to visit some of our world’s most beloved natural and cultural destinations.

Frommer’s new book 500 Places to See Before They Disapear ($19.99) is a guide to these precious and fragile sites that are disappearing at an astonishing rate. This book not only gives you an indication of how much of the world we take for granted, but also sheds some light on why natural habitats are disappearing and in some cases, what you can do to prevent it.

Here are some of the places included in the book:

Fraser Island, Australia—an island entirely of sand, threatened by rising sea levels.

Grove of Osun-Osogbo, Nigeria—the last remains of a primeval forest, held sacred in Yorubo worship.

Fenway Park, Boston—one of the last original ballparks and a national icon.

Willow Creek Preserve, Oregon—where you’ll find the nearly extinct Fender’s blue butterflies.

Teotichuacàn, Mexico—at one time the largest city in the world, now nearly inhabitable because of air pollution (the name means “Place Where Gods Were Born”).

Are there any destinations you'd like to see before they're gone?