How accurate are biodiversity losses estimates?
- Thread starter nanoboy
- Start date
Interesting article. Using the larger species as a guide (mammals, birds, reptiles etc) while ther may not have been many extinctions recently (i mollusc since 2000) there will I believ come a time when a large number of species will go extinct within a short time period. So many species are only just hanging in there that it wouldn't take much to wipe them out, Javan and sumatran rhinos as a start. There is also the idea of effective extincyion, where there are individuals still alive but the species is effectivel extinct because the remaining individuals cannot breed. This could mean that a long lived species could carry on for another 30 or more years before becoming extinct.
The problem is, how do you know for certain when a species goes extinct? Especially small species as they are harder to find. It is thought, from their decline and disappearance, that a large number of Central American frogs have gone extinct in the last few years because of chytrid fungus, but not being able to find them doesn't prove it's extinct.
The mollusc they mention would probably be one of the Partulas.
Hix
And the IUCN methodology is great but sometimes they are a bit too conservative: Like the Spix's Macaw it is general accepted that they are extinct in the wild, but as no proper research has been done in the whole possible range they keep the status on Crittically engangered. Same with the Baiji although in that species there is more uncertaintly (and even if not extinct it is functionally extinct).