The Precipice of the Sixth Extinction
Contrary to reports of pandas and snow leopards being taken off the endangered species list, extinction is a more pressing threat than ever.
The WWFs 2018 Living Planet Report has found the size of vertebrate populations has declined by an average of 60 percent from 1970 to 2014. This insane figure doesn’t even include invertebrates and plants.
We’re on the precipice of the sixth biological extinction. The previous five have been estimated to take place over millions of years, aside from the meteor that killed the dinosaurs. Among animals we’ve lost just in the last decade are the West African black rhinoceros and the Yangtze River Dolphin, a 20 million year old species.
“We’ve probably lost thousands of species before we even knew they existed,”
With everything else going on in the world, It’s difficult to care about random species halfway across the planet. Unfortunately, these threats are just as alarming within Australia, being that we are the fourth worst offender for animal extinctions in the world. There are currently 1,800 native plant and animal species and ecological communities at risk of extinction. We’ve lost two mammals, the Christmas Island pipistrelle and the Bramble Cay melomys, a bat and a mouse, in the past decade alone.
To make matters worse, many species remain undiscovered. “We’ve probably lost thousands of species before we even knew they existed,” says Professor Corey Bradshaw from Flinders University.
Dr Kevin Thiele, a plant taxonomist from the Australian Academy of Science, echoes this sentiment. Australia “is a megadiverse country”, says Dr Thiele, “We have more species in Australia than almost all other countries in the world”. So far, we only have about 30% of species classified and with the estimates of the WWF report, more species could be at risk of being lost. “We have a very large task,” Thiele acknowledges, but states we could document all Australian species “in a generation if we have enough resources”.
Without documentation, it is difficult to track the progress of conservation efforts. “Taxonomy doesn’t of itself prevent extinction,” Thiele says, but it’s “an extremely important first step”.
Animal conservation is not only about protecting interesting species and diversity. Extinctions can have cascading effects that can effect whole ecosystems and cause irreparable damage to our planet.
“Every species that goes extinct or that is not documented is a missed opportunity,”
Another, more surprising reason for conservation is that animals can provide toxins that are used in medicine and inspire innovations in technology. Sea sponges in Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic waters are one example where documenting species has led to benefits for humanity. “Sponges indulge in chemical warfare,” states Dr Thiele, “They have an amazing array of toxins that they use.” These toxins can be an excellent source of new drugs, “chemicals that can be used to combat AIDS and malaria, potentially new antibiotics to deal with multi drug resistant tuberculosis”. He says that without the research into documentation, the “chances of being able to make those discoveries are greatly reduced”.
Dr Thiele also mentions moths, who’s eyes have inspired solar panel development, making them more efficient. “There are just so many things out there”, he says, emphasising that in terms of innovations, nature is much more experienced than humanity. “It’s been doing research and development for billions of years,” he states. We have an opportunity to try to take advantage of this experimentation, before it’s too late. “Every species that goes extinct or that is not documented is a missed opportunity,” he says “any groups of organisms could have properties that are really, really important to us.”
While these innovations are valuable, Dr Thiele emphasises that “it’s our duty to conserve our biodiversity for its own sake, not only for our sake”. This is especially the case since we are responsible for the extinctions, with animals being threatened by a range of issues relating to human activity, everything from climate change to invasive species to poaching. With population growth “all the pressures that are causing these declines and these extinctions will only increase”, says Professor Bradshaw.
Unfortunately, a twenty-five year ban on the scientific and medical use of tiger bones and rhino horns has recently been lifted in China. This has sparked alarm among conservationists, who fear it will undo progress that has been made. “We take one step forward and ten back,” Professor Bradshaw says on conservation in general. “It might take only a couple years to do the destruction but it can take centuries if not millennia to recover.”
The WWF report touts us as the last generation that can save nature, but what can we do? For starters, never purchase ivory or tiger fur or products from any endangered species. Educate family and friends on the urgency of the issue. Make small lifestyle changes to reduce your carbon footprint, such as recycling, driving less and eating less meat. Most importantly, vote mindfully for candidates that support good conservation policies.
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