The impact of conservation on the status of the world's vertebrates
Issue Date
12-2010
Abstract
Using data for 25,780 species categorized on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, we present an assessment of the status of the world's vertebrates. One-fifth of species are classified as Threatened, and we show that this figure is increasing: On average, 52 species of mammals, birds, and amphibians move one category closer to extinction each year. However, this overall pattern conceals the impact of conservation successes, and we show that the rate of deterioration would have been at least one-fifth again as much in the absence of these. Nonetheless, current conservation efforts remain insufficient to offset the main drivers of biodiversity loss in these groups: agricultural expansion, logging, overexploitation, and invasive alien species.
Source or Periodical Title
Science
ISSN
0036-8075
Volume
330
Issue
6010
Page
1503-1509
Document Type
Article
Physical Description
illustrations, tables, graphs
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Hoffmann, M., Hilton-Taylor, C., Angulo, A., Böhm, M., Brooks, T. M., Butchart, S. H. M., Carpenter, K. E., Chanson, J., Collen, B., Cox, N. A., Darwall, W. R. T., Dulvy, N. K., Harrison, L. R., Katariya, V., Pollock, C. M., Quader, S., Richman, N. I., Rodrigues, A. S. L., Tognelli, M. F., Stuart, S. N. (2010). The Impact of Conservation on the Status of the World’s Vertebrates. Science, 330 (6010), 1503–1509. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40964284
Identifier
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40964284
Digital Copy
yes