Woinarski John C Z, Garnett Stephen T, Legge Sarah M
Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, Northern Territory, Australia; email:
Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Acton, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Annu Rev Anim Biosci. 2025 Feb;13(1):507-528. doi: 10.1146/annurev-animal-111523-102004. Epub 2024 Oct 1.
Most conservation programs and laws aim to prevent extinction. However, there is a gulf between such aspirations and the current reality of escalating biodiversity loss. This review focuses on efforts to prevent extinctions in Australia, but much of this consideration is likely to apply globally. As context, we consider the reasons for trying to prevent extinction, review Australia's extinction record, and note that there are likely to be many more extinctions than formally recognized. We describe recent cases where conservation actions have prevented extinction. We note that extinction is a pathway rather than solely an endpoint, and many decisions made or not made on that pathway can determine the fate of species. We conclude that all looming extinctions can and should be prevented. This will require transformational change in legislation, increased resourcing, more consideration of poorly known species, and increased societal recognition of the need to be responsible for the care of country.
大多数保护计划和法律旨在防止物种灭绝。然而，这些愿望与生物多样性损失不断加剧的当前现实之间存在巨大差距。本综述聚焦于澳大利亚防止物种灭绝的努力，但其中许多考量可能在全球范围内都适用。作为背景，我们探讨了试图防止物种灭绝的原因，回顾了澳大利亚的灭绝记录，并指出实际灭绝的物种可能比正式确认的要多得多。我们描述了近期保护行动成功防止物种灭绝的案例。我们注意到，灭绝是一个过程，而非仅仅是一个终点，在这个过程中做出或未做出的许多决策都能决定物种的命运。我们得出结论，所有迫在眉睫的物种灭绝都能够且应该被防止。这将需要立法上的变革性改变、增加资源投入、更多地关注鲜为人知的物种，以及社会更多地认识到有责任关爱这片土地。
