How many bird and mammal extinctions has recent conservation action prevented?
Bolam, Friederike C.; Mair, Louise; Angelico, Marco; Brooks, Thomas M.; Burgman, Mark; Hermes, Claudia; Hoffmann, Michael; Martin, Rob W.; McGowan, Philip J.K.; Rodrigue, Ana S.L.; Rondinin, Carlo; Westrip, James R.S.; Wheatley, Hannah; Bedolla-Guzmán, Yuliana; Calzada, Javier; Child, Matthew F.; Cranswick, Peter A.; Dickman, Christopher R.; Fessl, Birgit; Fisher, Diana; Garnett, Stephen T.; Groombridge, Jim J.; Johnson, Christopher N.; Kennerley, Rosalind J.; King, Sarah R.B.; Lamoreux, John F.; Lees, Alexander C.; Lens, Luc; Mahood, Simon P.; Mallon, David P.; Meijaard, Erik; Mendez-Sanchez, Federico; Percequillo, Alexandre Reis; Regan, Tracey J.; Renjifo, Luis Miguel; Rivers, Malin C.; Roach, Nicolette S.; Roxburgh, Lizanne; Safford, Roger J.; Salaman, Paul; Squires, Tom; Vazquez-Dominguez, Ella; Visconti, Piero; Woinarski, John C.Z.; Young, Richard P.; Butchar, Stuart H.M.
Date:
2021-01
Abstract:
Aichi Target 12 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) contains the
aim to ‘prevent extinctions of known threatened species’. To measure the degree
to which this was achieved, we used expert elicitation to estimate the number
of bird and mammal species whose extinctions were prevented by conservation
action in 1993–2020 (the lifetime of the CBD) and 2010–2020 (the timing of Aichi
Target 12). We found that conservation action prevented 21–32 bird and 7–16
mammal extinctions since 1993, and 9–18 bird and two to seven mammal extinctions
since 2010. Many remain highly threatened and may still become extinct.
Considering that 10 bird and five mammal species did go extinct (or are strongly
suspected to) since 1993, extinction rates would have been 2.9–4.2 times greater
without conservation action. While policy commitments have fostered significant
conservation achievements, future biodiversity action needs to be scaled up
to avert additional extinctions.
