Targeted nature conservation helps threatened species recover
A peer-reviewed study shows that small populations are not automatically doomed to extinction.
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Animal populations that have fallen to fewer than fifty wild individuals can recover if they receive targeted protection. That is the finding of an international study of 141 bird and mammal species.
Researchers from Monash University and the Zoological Society of London, among others, examined bird and mammal species that had fallen below the threshold of fifty wild individuals since 1950. The study was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B and is therefore peer-reviewed.
Of the 51 species for which direct conservation measures were available, 61 per cent later reached a population of at least one hundred animals again. The measures ranged from controlling invasive predators and restoring habitat to breeding programmes and releasing animals.
Show the figures
| Share of species | |
|---|---|
| Direct measures: recovery | 61% |
| No direct support: extinction | 37% |
| No direct support: recovery | 2% |
The researchers compared that group with species for which no direct support had been recorded. According to the researchers, 37 per cent of that group became extinct and 2 per cent reached a population of at least one hundred animals. The study is a historical analysis of species with sufficient data; it is not a controlled experiment in which policies were assigned at random.
According to the authors, the result challenges the idea that very small populations are almost always beyond recovery because of inbreeding and demographic risks. That does not mean every species can be saved. The authors also say it is important to address the causes of decline, such as habitat loss, invasive species or hunting.
One example cited is the Lord Howe rail, an Australian bird species. According to the study, its population grew from 23 birds in the late 1970s to more than 1,600. The example mainly shows that long-term protection can be effective; it is not an average for all threatened species.
The results provide a concrete counterweight to a harsh selection process in which the smallest populations are considered hopeless. At the same time, the broader biodiversity crisis remains. The study’s conclusion is therefore not that protection works automatically, but that recovery among very small populations occurred more often in the group receiving direct conservation measures.
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Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The study’s status, figures and percentages were checked against publicly available research information and the Royal Society publication reference. The text identifies the limitations of observational historical data.
- confirmed The study examined 141 bird and mammal species that fell below fifty wild individuals. — This is stated in the research information from Monash University and ZSL. source
- confirmed Of the 51 species with direct conservation measures, 61 per cent recovered to at least one hundred individuals. — The percentage and group size are given in the research information. source
- confirmed The study was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. — The publication reference accompanies the study and the DOI points to the Royal Society. source
- confirmed The Lord Howe rail grew from 23 to more than 1,600 birds. — This example is cited in the research information. source
Editor's note
The study is peer-reviewed and contains historical comparisons, not a randomised trial. The positive outcome applies to species with recorded targeted measures and cannot simply be generalised to all threatened species.Sources
- Small populations, big potential: New research overturns extinction assumptions — Australian Science Media Centre / Monash University
- Proceedings of the Royal Society B, DOI 10.1098/rspb.2026.2436 — Royal Society
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „biodiversiteit natuurbescherming”
- Trouw — „biodiversiteit natuurbescherming”
- NRC — „biodiversiteit natuurbescherming”