Conserving nature helps save different kinds of plants and animals. A new study says these efforts are working well. It’s published in a science journal called Science on April 25. The study looked at data from 186 different research studies. They did these studies in 665 places worldwide. This is a big step forward in understanding how to save different species of plants and animals.
Penny Langhammer led the study. She works at Re:wild. She says conservation efforts are really important. They help protect thousands of species from going extinct. Many of these species are crucial for keeping the environment stable. They also provide important things for people around the world.
Langhammer says we’re actually doing a good job with conservation. Even though some species are still declining, many conservation efforts are helping to slow this down. She thinks we need to keep supporting these efforts to keep seeing positive changes.
The study looked at different ways we can help protect nature. For example, managing protected areas and controlling invasive species. In about two-thirds of the cases they studied, these efforts had good results. This means they helped to improve or slow down the decline of biodiversity.
In Florida, for example, efforts to manage certain areas helped more baby turtles and birds survive. In the Congo Basin, areas where logging is carefully managed have seen less deforestation. Jake Bicknell, another scientist involved in the study, says when conservation efforts work, they work really well. They found many cases where species populations got bigger because of these efforts.
But not all conservation efforts were successful. In India, for instance, trying to remove a type of invasive algae actually made the problem worse. So, we’re still learning what works best in different situations.
The study found that recent conservation efforts are more successful than older ones. This might be because we’re putting more money and effort into conservation now. Even when a conservation effort didn’t directly help the target species, it often helped other species in the area.
