More than 500 terrestrial vertebrate species are on the brink of extinction, which is likely driven in large part by human activities in biodiversity hotspots, a study suggests. The world is experiencing its sixth mass species extinction, which harms ecosystem function and endangers human well-being. In the last century, more than 400 vertebrate species have disappeared by some estimates. To assess the extinction risk faced by terrestrial vertebrates, Gerardo Ceballos and colleagues used data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species and from Birdlife International. The authors found that 1.7%, or 515 out of 29,400, of the evaluated terrestrial vertebrate species are on the brink of extinction, with fewer than 1,000 remaining individuals. Vertebrates on the brink of extinction are located primarily in tropical and subtropical regions, concentrated in areas that are heavily affected by human activities. Moreover, approximately 84% of the 388 terrestrial vertebrate species that have fewer than 5,000 remaining individuals are located in the same geographical regions as species on the brink and may therefore soon face a similar risk due to the human-driven collapse of regional biodiversity. Additional analyses suggest that terrestrial vertebrate species on the brink have collectively lost approximately 237,000 populations since 1900. According to the authors, the findings underscore the need for global action to prevent further loss of terrestrial vertebrate species.
Article #19-22686: "Vertebrates on the brink as indicators of biological annihilation and the sixth mass extinction," by Gerardo Ceballos, Paul R. Ehrlich, and Peter H. Raven.
MEDIA CONTACT: Gerardo Ceballos, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, MEXICO; e-mail: gceballo@ecologia.unam.mx
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Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences