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

Donal Smith, Thomas Abeli, Emily Beckman Bruns, Sarah E. Dalrymple, Jeremy Foster, Tania C. Gilbert, Carolyn J. Hogg, Natasha A. Lloyd, Abby Meyer, Axel Moehrenschlager, Olivia Murrell, Jon Paul Rodriguez, Paul P. Smith, Andrew Terry, John G. Ewen

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbereabn2889
JournalScience
Volume379
Issue number6634
DOIs
StatePublished - 24 Feb 2023

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