Extinct in the wild: The precarious state of Earth's most threatened group of species

Extinct in the Wild (EW) species are placed at the highest risk of extinction under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, but the extent and variation in this risk have never been evaluated. Harnessing global databases of ex situ animal and plant holdings, we report on the per...

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Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2023-02, Vol.379 (6634), p.eadd2889-eadd2889
Main Authors: Smith, Donal, Abeli, Thomas, Bruns, Emily Beckman, Dalrymple, Sarah E, Foster, Jeremy, Gilbert, Tania C, Hogg, Carolyn J, Lloyd, Natasha A, Meyer, Abby, Moehrenschlager, Axel, Murrell, Olivia, Rodriguez, Jon Paul, Smith, Paul P, Terry, Andrew, Ewen, John G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Endangered Species
Extinction, Biological
Gardens
Plants
Population Dynamics
Seed Bank
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Summary:Extinct in the Wild (EW) species are placed at the highest risk of extinction under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, but the extent and variation in this risk have never been evaluated. Harnessing global databases of ex situ animal and plant holdings, we report on the perilous state of EW species. Most EW animal species-already compromised by their small number of founders-are maintained at population sizes far below the thresholds necessary to ensure demographic security. Most EW plant species depend on live propagation by a small number of botanic gardens, with a minority secured at seed bank institutions. Both extinctions and recoveries are possible fates for EW species. We urgently call for international effort to enable the latter.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.add2889