From Birdlife International
A study led by Newcastle University and BirdLife International estimates the number of bird and mammal species that would have disappeared forever without conservation action in recent decades.
The international team calculated that 21-32 bird and 7-16 mammal species’ extinctions have been prevented since 1993, the year the UN Convention on Biodiversity came into force.
The wide ranges reflect the uncertainty that comes with gauging what might have happened under different circumstances.
Nonetheless, even the minimum – 28 bird and mammal species – is remarkably encouraging news, showing that extinction rates in these groups would have been around 3-4 times greater with no intervention.
The BirdLife partnership is proud to have been involved in conservation efforts for more than half of these bird species: ten through direct involvement in species management, and six through indirect routes such as advocacy and funding.
Species benefiting from direct BirdLife action include the Echo Parakeet (Vulnerable), Northern Bald Ibis (Endangered) and Fatu Hiva Monarch (Critically Endangered).
To arrive at their conclusions, the study team convened a panel of experts to analyse data on population size, trends, threats and actions taken for the planet’s most threatened birds and mammals.
The experts then estimated the likelihood that each species would have gone extinct under a hypothetical scenario in which no action was taken.
The study highlighted the most frequently successful conservation approaches for these species. Twenty-one bird species benefited from invasive species control, 20 from conservation in zoos and collections, and 19 from site protection.
Fourteen mammal species benefited from legislation, and nine from species re-introductions and conservation in zoos and collections.