Targeted Conservation Efforts Help Restore Crashing Biodiversity

Forbes

27-03-2025

A major review of over 67,000 animal species has found that with greater resource allocation, conservation can halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
European bison (Bison bonasus) are a coonservation success story. (Credit: JMrocek)
The planet is being confronted by a growing biodiversity crisis, with 28% of more than 160,000 assessed species threatened with extinction, and an estimated one million species facing this tragic fate due to human activities. And yet in the face of all this, conservation measures are providing promising results. But which actions make conservation efforts successful? This is the main question that a recent scientific review sought to answer.
To answer this question, a UK-based team of researchers published their analysis of more than 67,000 animal species that are either threatened or facing extinction to identify which sorts of conservation efforts are helping to bring them back from the brink. The researchers did this by evaluating data collected by the IUCN Red List for 67,217 animal species to specifically determine:
'We found that almost all the species that have moved from a more threatened category to a less threatened category have benefited from some sort of conservation measures,' observed the study's lead author, conservation biologist Ashley Simkins, a PhD student in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge, where he is a member of King's College.
'It's a strong signal that conservation works.'
But according to the findings, these threatened or endangered animals did not benefit from just one conservation action, nor is there one main solution for responding to conservation issues for all species.
'Sadly there is no 'silver bullet' or one solution to avoiding declines,' Mr Simkins told me in email. 'Many species are declining due to human pressures, particularly from habitat loss or degradation (often driven by agricultural expansion) or unsustainable use of species.'
Although there is no 'one size fits all' solution, Mr Simkins and collaborators did uncover some commonalities shared by animal species that have conservation success stories. These commonalities that have helped many species recover include habitat protection, breeding programs, and legal protections. They also found that, many recovering species live in isolated areas, such as islands, where successful conservation efforts can be fully implemented without interference.
Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus), Almuradiel, Ciudad Real, Spain. (Credit: Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0)
'While biodiversity loss is a genuine crisis, it's vital that we celebrate the success stories wherever and whenever we can,' Mr Simkins mentioned in email. 'It's so hard for a species to improve its conservation status, but with the right effort, we can turn things around.'
Several of the many conservation success stories worth mentioning include the Iberian lynx, Lynx pardinus, once the world's most endangered cat. This animal's population rebounded from just a few hundred individuals to a few thousand. Likewise, the kākāpō, Strigops habroptilus, a flightless nocturnal parrot from New Zealand, has benefited from imaginative and dedicated recovery programs. And the European bison, also known as the European wood bison or wisent, Bison bonasus, which was hunted to extinction in the wild by the early 20th century, now roam several countries in Eastern Europe, thanks to decades of devoted conservation efforts.
Similarly, some marine species also have inspirational conservation success stories to tell. Probably the most familiar are humpback and blue whales, which were driven to the brink of extinction not so long ago by commercial whaling, but are making a comeback after an international moratorium was enacted on whaling.
'Almost everyone will have their own favorite example of a conservation success story, whether it's the bald eagle in North America, or the red kite in the UK,' Mr Simkins mentioned. 'We need joint action to ensure these positive stories aren't the exception – they're the norm.'
Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Public domain.
Despite Mr Simkins' enthusiasm, these success stories are still comparatively rare: the study found that six times more species are declining rather than improving.
And this is why it is so important to identify what we can do to prevent population declines in vulnerable species before they become threatened. Indeed, much like for preventative medicine, identifying and adopting preventative conservation measures are preferable and more cost-effective than attempting to rescue a species after it is serious trouble.
'Humans have gotten pretty good at what could be considered 'A&E' conservation—focusing on species at very high risk of extinction,' Mr Simkins noted. 'What we're less good at is preventing species from becoming threatened in the first place. We need to move beyond treating the symptoms of biodiversity loss and start addressing the root causes.'
These root causes include habitat destruction, hunting and other forms of persecution, and the growing effects of the climate crisis.
'To avoid these declines, we need to find ways to alleviate these pressures on species, and work with stakeholders in these areas to find solutions that both provide what they need whilst minimising harms on wildlife,' Mr Simkins recommended in email. 'We also need greater funding to conservation to scale up actions if we want to ideally avoid or at least minimise declines.'
In their review, Mr Simkins and collaborators emphasize collective, locally driven conservation. For example, in Papua New Guinea, conservation biologists worked with local communities to replace hunting wild tree kangaroos with sustainable forms of animal protein, including farming chickens and fishing – an approach that benefits both people and wildlife.
'It's vital that we as conservationists are working with stakeholders, rather than dictating to them, whether that's an Indigenous community in Papua New Guinea or a farmer in Somerset,' Mr Simkins pointed out.
'Conservation doesn't have to be a zero-sum game – there are compromises that can benefit both the natural world and human society.'
This study provides a broad overview of which conservation actions are most helpful for recovering species and also highlights species that still require conservation interventions. It's important to note that although the study finds that actions taken to prevent species extinctions usually lead to improvements, it also finds that conservation actions rarely lead to full recovery of threatened species. Additionally, Mr Simkins and collaborators note that there still are gaps in the IUCN Red List data due to inconsistencies in assessment and documentation strategies across species. Thus, improving documentation of conservation actions that are currently underway and scaling up conservation efforts will be essential to assist the recovery of biodiversity.
The research collaboration for this work consisted of scientists from the University of Cambridge, BirdLife International, Oxford University, and Durham University, along with the IUCN, which maintains the world's largest database of the conservation status of the world's species known as the Red List.
'Despite huge losses and declines of species, we find conservation action has driven improvements in more than one hundred species, with almost all species improving in status having conservation actions in place,' Mr Simkins and collaborators write in their review (ref).
'This suggests with greater resource allocation, conservation can halt and reverse biodiversity loss.'
Ashley T. Simkins, William J. Sutherland, Lynn V. Dicks, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Molly K. Grace, Stuart H. M. Butchart, Rebecca A. Senior, and Silviu O. Petrovan (2025). Past conservation efforts reveal which actions lead to positive outcomes for species, PLOS Biology 23(3):e3003051 | doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3003051
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