Targeted efforts bring species back

Targeted conservation actions are bringing species back from the brink of extinction, despite a worldwide biodiversity crisis. Researchers gathered data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List to determine how different species have moved categories following conservation measures. In a study published in PLOS Biology, they found that conservation actions have positively affected listed species. “We found that almost all the species that have moved from a more threatened category to a less threatened category have benefitted from some sort of conservation measures,” said lead author Ashley Simkins, a PhD candidate in Cambridge’s Department of Zoology, in a press release. “It’s a strong signal that conservation works.” However, they did find that some of these successes are because the species live in isolated areas where conservation actions can be fully implemented. What’s more, the researchers found that six times more species are declining than improving.

Read the study in PLOS Biology.