Study says conservation pays off

Thirty-one species still exist because of conservation efforts, according to a recent study.

The researchers looked at 170 bird species classified as critically endangered in 1994, and 73 others that would have been classified as critically endangered had more information been available at the time. Of these, they believe 16 would very probably have gone extinct without conservation efforts.

They also named 10 species which had been saved from extinction before 1994, and five species which are now believed to exist only in captivity. "We attempted to judge from the intensity and impact of the measures used, and from the trend in population, what would have happened had the threats not been mitigated," said lead researcher Stuart Butchart, at Cambridge-based BirdLife International, a global partnership of national conservation organisations, including the RSPB. "In none of the cases were [the populations] naturally bouncing back."

Among the cited species: California Condor, of which there were only nine in 1994. The population now numbers 128.

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