Nearly half of endangered species' last refuges unprotected

A major assessment by the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) has found that almost 50 per cent of locations that support highly threatened species are unprotected. However, the global conservation partnership also stressed that – with swift action – hundreds of extinctions can be prevented.

The analysis – the culmination of a three-year effort led by BirdLife International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) – mapped the ranges of 1,483 endangered species that are known to only occur at a single site. To qualify for AZE status, a site must be the last-known location of an Endangered or Critically Endangered species, the two highest extinction threat categories on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Araripe Manakin's final Brazilian refuge is now protected (Ciro Albano).

Dr Ian Burfield, Global Science Co-ordinator at BirdLife International and lead co-ordinator of the new site assessment, commented: "We now recognise 853 AZE sites – far more of these last refuges for species than previously known. In order to save any species, the number one priority is to protect their habitats, but 43 per cent of these sites lack any formal protection whatsoever."

This work falls under a wider project, led by BirdLife and supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Environment Programme, that has worked with the governments of Brazil, Chile and Madagascar – among other countries – to better consolidate AZE sites in these nations. Mile Parr, AZE Chairman and President of ABC, said: "The governments of at least 20 nations are already acting to protect their AZE sites, but we urgently need all 109 countries and territories with AZE sites to take action to protect these unique places."

Brazil is among the countries with the most AZE sites and has become the first to put in place legislation to ensure these areas are taken into account in national development and conservation planning. Ugo Eichler Vercillo, Director of the Department of Species Conservation and Management in the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, said: "With some way still to go to meet agreed global targets to increase protected areas and tackle species declines, protecting AZE sites would be the fastest way to achieve both at the same time and should be a global conservation priority."

Following protection if its key sites, Azores Bullfinch is no longer an AZE trigger species (Marc Fasol).

Despite the large number of unprotected sites, the research also offers evidence that effective protection does work, with several former AZE species being removed from the list. For example, in Colombia, the establishment of the Ranita Dorada Amphibian Reserve to protect two species of poison-dart frogs has improved their status to the extent that neither now qualifies as an AZE trigger species.

However, with human activity wiping out the world's wildlife at an unsustainable pace, the need to safeguard the remaining AZE sites has never been more urgent. Dr Noëlle Kümpel, Head of Policy at BirdLife International and co-ordinator of the project, added: "The loss of species from the wild is a real wake-up call, but with concerted action it is not too late to turn things around for others. AZE sites really are our last chance – if we lose these areas, we lose entire species found nowhere else on Earth. The threats to these sites from unsustainable development are only increasing, so we urgently need other governments to follow Brazil's lead and to put in place strong measures to protect these irreplaceable places."