The impact of conservation on the status of the world's vertebrates.
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.
IUCN SSC Species Survival Commission, c/o United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK. mike.hoffmann@iucn.org
Michael
M
Hoffmann
Craig
C
Hilton-Taylor
Ariadne
A
Angulo
Monika
M
Böhm
Thomas M
TM
Brooks
Stuart H M
SH
Butchart
Kent E
KE
Carpenter
Janice
J
Chanson
Ben
B
Collen
Neil A
NA
Cox
William R T
WR
Darwall
Nicholas K
NK
Dulvy
Lucy R
LR
Harrison
Vineet
V
Katariya
Caroline M
CM
Pollock
Suhel
S
Quader
Nadia I
NI
Richman
Ana S L
AS
Rodrigues
Marcelo F
MF
Tognelli
Jean-Christophe
JC
Vié
John M
JM
Aguiar
David J
DJ
Allen
Gerald R
GR
Allen
Giovanni
G
Amori
Natalia B
NB
Ananjeva
Franco
F
Andreone
Paul
P
Andrew
Aida Luz
AL
Aquino Ortiz
Jonathan E M
JE
Baillie
Ricardo
R
Baldi
Ben D
BD
Bell
S D
SD
Biju
Jeremy P
JP
Bird
Patricia
P
Black-Decima
J Julian
JJ
Blanc
Federico
F
Bolaños
Wilmar
W
Bolivar-G
Ian J
IJ
Burfield
James A
JA
Burton
David R
DR
Capper
Fernando
F
Castro
Gianluca
G
Catullo
Rachel D
RD
Cavanagh
Alan
A
Channing
Ning Labbish
NL
Chao
Anna M
AM
Chenery
Federica
F
Chiozza
Viola
V
Clausnitzer
Nigel J
NJ
Collar
Leah C
LC
Collett
Bruce B
BB
Collette
Claudia F
CF
Cortez Fernandez
Matthew T
MT
Craig
Michael J
MJ
Crosby
Neil
N
Cumberlidge
Annabelle
A
Cuttelod
Andrew E
AE
Derocher
Arvin C
AC
Diesmos
John S
JS
Donaldson
J W
JW
Duckworth
Guy
G
Dutson
S K
SK
Dutta
Richard H
RH
Emslie
Aljos
A
Farjon
Sarah
S
Fowler
Jörg
J
Freyhof
David L
DL
Garshelis
Justin
J
Gerlach
David J
DJ
Gower
Tandora D
TD
Grant
Geoffrey A
GA
Hammerson
Richard B
RB
Harris
Lawrence R
LR
Heaney
S Blair
SB
Hedges
Jean-Marc
JM
Hero
Baz
B
Hughes
Syed Ainul
SA
Hussain
Javier
J
Icochea M
Robert F
RF
Inger
Nobuo
N
Ishii
Djoko T
DT
Iskandar
Richard K B
RK
Jenkins
Yoshio
Y
Kaneko
Maurice
M
Kottelat
Kit M
KM
Kovacs
Sergius L
SL
Kuzmin
Enrique
E
La Marca
John F
JF
Lamoreux
Michael W N
MW
Lau
Esteban O
EO
Lavilla
Kristin
K
Leus
Rebecca L
RL
Lewison
Gabriela
G
Lichtenstein
Suzanne R
SR
Livingstone
Vimoksalehi
V
Lukoschek
David P
DP
Mallon
Philip J K
PJ
McGowan
Anna
A
McIvor
Patricia D
PD
Moehlman
Sanjay
S
Molur
Antonio
A
Muñoz Alonso
John A
JA
Musick
Kristin
K
Nowell
Ronald A
RA
Nussbaum
Wanda
W
Olech
Nikolay L
NL
Orlov
Theodore J
TJ
Papenfuss
Gabriela
G
Parra-Olea
William F
WF
Perrin
Beth A
BA
Polidoro
Mohammad
M
Pourkazemi
Paul A
PA
Racey
James S
JS
Ragle
Mala
M
Ram
Galen
G
Rathbun
Robert P
RP
Reynolds
Anders G J
AG
Rhodin
Stephen J
SJ
Richards
Lily O
LO
Rodríguez
Santiago R
SR
Ron
Carlo
C
Rondinini
Anthony B
AB
Rylands
Yvonne
Y
Sadovy de Mitcheson
Jonnell C
JC
Sanciangco
Kate L
KL
Sanders
Georgina
G
Santos-Barrera
Jan
J
Schipper
Caryn
C
Self-Sullivan
Yichuan
Y
Shi
Alan
A
Shoemaker
Frederick T
FT
Short
Claudio
C
Sillero-Zubiri
Débora L
DL
Silvano
Kevin G
KG
Smith
Andrew T
AT
Smith
Jos
J
Snoeks
Alison J
AJ
Stattersfield
Andrew J
AJ
Symes
Andrew B
AB
Taber
Bibhab K
BK
Talukdar
Helen J
HJ
Temple
Rob
R
Timmins
Joseph A
JA
Tobias
Katerina
K
Tsytsulina
Denis
D
Tweddle
Carmen
C
Ubeda
Sarah V
SV
Valenti
Peter Paul
PP
van Dijk
Liza M
LM
Veiga
Alberto
A
Veloso
David C
DC
Wege
Mark
M
Wilkinson
Elizabeth A
EA
Williamson
Feng
F
Xie
Bruce E
BE
Young
H Resit
HR
Akçakaya
Leon
L
Bennun
Tim M
TM
Blackburn
Luigi
L
Boitani
Holly T
HT
Dublin
Gustavo A B
GA
da Fonseca
Claude
C
Gascon
Thomas E
TE
Lacher
Georgina M
GM
Mace
Susan A
SA
Mainka
Jeffery A
JA
McNeely
Russell A
RA
Mittermeier
Gordon McGregor
GM
Reid
Jon Paul
JP
Rodriguez
Andrew A
AA
Rosenberg
Michael J
MJ
Samways
Jane
J
Smart
Bruce A
BA
Stein
Simon N
SN
Stuart
D000663:Amphibians; D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D001717:Birds; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D056727:Endangered Species / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D058865:Introduced Species; D008322:Mammals; D011157:Population Dynamics; D014714:Vertebrates