Sixteen bird species saved from extinction
Sixteen bird species that nearly went extinct in the mid-1990s were saved by international cooperation and concerted conservation efforts, according to a study published in the journal Oryx by researchers from BirdLife International. Scientists say the rebounds in populations of the Norfolk Island green parrot, the Mauritius parakeet, and 14 other species show there’s hope of slowing the trend toward human-caused bird extinctions. “It is encouraging that bird conservation actions worldwide are making a noticeable dent in the bleak scenario of global biodiversity loss,” wrote Cambridge zoologist Ana S. L. Rodrigues, who summarized the research in Science. However, if humans continue to tear down tropical forests and engage in other not-so-bird-conducive activities, the feathered-friend extinction rate could rise tenfold in the next decade. Said Stuart Butchart, author of the BirdLife study, “These successes show that preventing extinctions is possible, given political will and concerted action.” Hmm, speaking of rare …
