A study published in Conservation Letter found that efforts to protect endangered species of birds and mammals had saved at least 28 of them from extinction since 1993.
The research was led by Newcastle University and Birdlife International to assess the effectiveness of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which came into force in 1993, and specifically, its Aichi Target 12, which set the goal to “prevent extinctions of known threatened species,” according to the study.
From 1993 to 2020, the lifetime of the CBD, conservation actions prevented 21 to 32 bird extinctions and seven to 16 mammal extinctions, for a total of 28 to 48 animals saved from the brink. Between 2010 and 2020, the timing of Aichi Target 12, conservationists prevented 9 to 18 bird extinctions and two to seven mammal extinctions.
Since 1993, 15 birds and mammals are sadly believed to have gone extinct. However, the research reveals that the extinction rates for both groups would have been 2.9 to 4.2 times higher without any action.
Species saved included the Iberian lynx, California condor, and pygmy hog. Some of these, like the California condor, are major success stories. Others, like the vaquita porpoise, are still struggling.
Originally written by Olivia Rosane in EcoWatch
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