Species of a bird declared extinct rediscovered, sparks hope

Guam rail, a flightless bird typically about 30cm long, dull brown in colour and adorned with black and white stripes, is the latest addition to the success story in the recent history of conservation. According to the experts, the bird which went extinct in 1987 is one amongst the seven species who have revived. According to the IUCN Red List which is the red list of threatened species, ten species have observed revival while 73 species have seen a decline. 

Ten species revived, 73 declined

According to an update in the IUCN Red List, a total of 30,178 animals and plants are deemed to be close to extinction. IUCN acting director-general Dr Grethel Aguilar said this IUCN Red List update offers a spark of hope in the midst of the biodiversity crisis. Though we have witnessed 73 genuine species decline, the stories behind ten genuine improvements prove that nature will recover if given half a chance. She also said that Climate Change is adding to the multiple threats species face, and we need to act urgently and decisively to curb the crisis.

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The other species which have seen an improvement in their conditions are Kenya’s Taan River Red Colobus, which are the world’s most threatened primates. They are now ‘critically endangered’ due to habitat loss. One the other hand, captive breeding programmes on the island of Mauritius has helped boost the numbers of Echo Parakeet whose numbers have now exceeded 750. Its status has improved to ‘vulnerable’ from ‘critically endangered.’ Australian Trout Cod also improved its status from ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable.’ Pedder Galaxias, a freshwater fish in Tasmania who was once believed to be extinct are now ‘endangered.’ Two other freshwater species have also revived.

Climate crisis and direct human activity are affecting different species. The short tail Nurse Shark which is found in the western Indian Ocean has declined by around four-fifths over 30 years in the face of overfishing and climate change. Likewise,  Imperial parrot went from ‘endangered’ to ‘critically endangered’ after enormous damage did by hurricane Maria in 2017. European rabbits are also facing a decline in their numbers.

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