A recent study suggests that protecting just 1.2% of the Earth’s surface could be sufficient to prevent the extinction of the world’s most threatened species.
Published in the journal Frontiers in Science, the research emphasises that targeted expansion of protected areas on land could safeguard thousands of mammals, birds, amphibians, and plants that are on the brink of extinction.
Researchers have identified 16,825 critical sites across the globe, from Argentina to Papua New Guinea, that should be prioritised for conservation over the next five years. These sites are home to species found nowhere else on Earth, making them essential for preventing imminent extinctions.
Dr. Eric Dinerstein of the environmental organisation Resolve, and lead author of the study, highlighted the focus on species with extremely limited habitats, using the example of the peyote cactus, which is now confined to small areas in the Chihuahuan Desert of North America.
“Most species on Earth are rare, meaning that species either have very narrow ranges or they occur at very low densities or both,” he said.
The study’s primary goal is to address imminent extinctions, rather than to outline all the actions required to restore nature globally. While expanding protected areas is crucial, scientists stress that broader efforts are necessary to halt biodiversity loss and maintain ecosystems vital to human well-being.
In a 2020 study, the same team identified half of the Earth’s land surface that, if protected, could reverse biodiversity loss and enhance natural carbon sequestration.
The study’s authors refer to the 16,825 identified sites as “conservation imperatives.” Notably, 38% of these sites are located within 2.5 kilometres (about 1.5 miles) of existing protected areas, suggesting they could be quickly integrated into conservation efforts. Countries such as the Philippines, Brazil, Indonesia, Madagascar, and Colombia host more than half of these critical sites.
In 2022, global governments committed to protecting 30% of the planet for nature by 2030, as part of the UN biodiversity targets. However, the study reveals that governments often neglect the most biodiverse areas in urgent need of protection. The researchers estimate that only 7% of sites designated as new protected areas between 2018 and 2023 included the most threatened species.
Dinerstein said: “Despite the recent talk of extinction, the biodiversity crisis and what we should be doing, only 7% of the new protected areas between 2018 and 2023 overlapped with the conservation imperative sites.
“It’s almost as if countries are using a reverse-selection algorithm and picking the non-rare sites to add to the global areas under protection. The call to arms of this paper is that we have to be doing a much better job in the next five years and it is doable.”
To protect these vital sites, the study estimates a cost of $29 billion to $46 billion (£23 billion to £36 billion) over the next five years, covering approximately 1.6 million square kilometres (630,000 square miles). This could be achieved through a combination of land purchases, expanding Indigenous rights and land titles, and establishing protected areas on government-owned land.
The study’s findings are based on a global analysis of data on mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and plants, combined with satellite imagery to pinpoint remaining habitats for threatened species. While most of the urgent sites are in the tropics, other ecosystems such as grasslands, temperate broadleaf forests, and tundra were also highlighted.
Professor Neil Burgess, chief scientist at the UN Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, praised the research as a valuable blueprint for immediate action on preventing extinctions.
The paper, said Burgess, was an important reminder “that achieving 30% coverage by protected and conserved areas on its own is not enough, and that it is the location, quality and effectiveness of these protected and conserved areas that will determine whether they fulfil their role in contributing to halting biodiversity loss.”
——————————————————————————
At Natural World Fund, we are passionate about rewilding the UK to stop the decline in our wildlife.
Donate now and join in the solution!
