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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