National Geographic USA - 10.2019

FIN WHALE

Mature population

Humpback whale

84,000

Fin whale

100,000

Sei whale

50,000

Blue whale

5,000-15,000

North Atlantic right whale

458

Land use

Climate

change

MAIN THREATS

Invasive species/

disease

Human activity

Pollution

Resource

depletion

Least concern

Near threatened

Vulnerable

Endangered

Critically endangered

Threatened

CONSERVATION

STATUS

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Range of

fin whale

PAC.

OC.

INDIAN

OC.

ATL.

OC.

320,000

100,000

Mature population

1920 2019

EMBARK | DATA SHEET

BACK FROM THE BRINK

MORE THAN A QUARTER of all species

assessed by the International Union

for Conservation of Nature are consid-

ered threatened. Many species have

moved through several of the IUCN

Red List categories—from least concern

to vulnerable, endangered, critically

endangered, and ultimately extinct.

But every once in a while, a species

takes a step away from the brink—in

other words, it’s downlisted. That

doesn’t always happen without help.

Conservation measures over the years

helped improve the status of 13 ani-

mal species worldwide in 2018 (five

are shown here). Such downlistings are

worth celebrating, but some scientists

worry that they’ll slow the momen-

tum required to keep an animal safe.

In assessments so far in 2019 where

the status changed, in every case the

species declined.

BY MONICA SERRANO

AND RYAN WILLIAMS

These five animal

species once faced

extinction, but their

populations are

bouncing back—

thanks to intensive

conservation efforts.

Some whale species are

rebounding, but others,

such as the North Atlan-

tic right whale, still

face significant threats

and could be function-

ally extinct in just a

few decades. (To learn

more, see “Untangling

Whales” in this issue.)

The fin whale popula-

tion has doubled since

the 197 0s because of

reduced catches in

the North Atlantic and

international bans on

commercial whaling.

FUNCTIONALLY EXTINCT POPULATIONS DON’T HAVE ENOUGH MEMBERS TO PROVIDE THE SPECIES WITH THE GENETIC DIVERSITY

NEEDED TO THRIVE OR TO PERFORM ITS FUNCTION IN THE ECOSYSTEM.

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