SINGAPORE, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Numerous species thought to have disappeared are rediscovered every year but remain on the brink of extinction, U.S. and international researchers say.
A study by Princeton University, the National University of Singapore and the University of Adelaide researchers found at least 351 species thought to have disappeared in the past 122 years have been rediscovered, mostly in the tropics.
It was the first-ever such study conducted on the full extent of amphibian, bird and mammal species rediscoveries globally, an NUS release said Monday.
Despite many rediscoveries, 92 per cent of amphibians, 86 per cent of birds and 86 per cent of mammals remain highly threatened under current trends of habitat loss, independent of how long they were missing or when they were rediscovered, the researchers said.
Most rediscovered species have small geographic range size, which is the main driver in species extinction globally.
"Rediscoveries, without aggressive conservation, likely represent the delayed extinction of doomed species and not the return of viable populations," Brett R. Scheffers in the NUS Department of Biological Sciences says. "In short, there is hope but we must step up rapid conservation efforts."
