October 2010: A comprehensive assessment of the world’s vertebrates, conducted under the auspices of the IUCN Species Survival Commission in partnership with other organizations, confirms that one-fifth of species are threatened. It also provides evidence of the positive impact of global conservation efforts.

The study, which was launched at the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and will be published in Science, involved 174 authors from 115 institutions and 38 countries. It used data for 25,000 species from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to investigate the status of the world’s vertebrates (mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish) and how their status has changed over time. The results confirm previous reports of continued losses in biodiversity, showing that, on average, 50 species of mammal, bird and amphibian move closer to extinction each year, due to the impacts of agricultural expansion, logging, over-exploitation and invasive alien species. Southeast Asia has experienced the most dramatic recent losses, largely driven by the planting of export crops like oil palm, commercial hardwood timber operations, agricultural conversion to rice paddies and unsustainable hunting. Parts of Central America, the tropical Andes of South America, and Australia also have experienced marked losses, in particular due to the impact of the deadly chytrid fungus on amphibians.

The study is the first to present clear evidence of the positive impact, however, of conservation efforts around the globe. It highlights 64 mammal, bird and amphibian species that have improved in status due to successful conservation action. This includes three species that were extinct in the wild and have since been re-introduced back to nature, successful efforts to combat invasive alien species on islands, and the recovery of vicuña in South America. [IUCN Press release]