The Impact of Conservation on the Status of the World’s Vertebrates
Authors: Hoffmann Michael , Hilton-Taylor Craig , Angulo Ariadne , Böhm Monika , Brooks Thomas M. , Butchart Stuart H. M. , Carpenter Kent E. , Chanson Janice , Collen Ben , Cox Neil A. , Darwall William R. T. , Dulvy Nicholas K. , Harrison Lucy R. , Katariya Vineet , Pollock Caroline M. , Quader Suhel , Richman Nadia I. , Rodrigues Ana S. L. , Tognelli Marcelo F. , Vié Jean-Christophe , Aguiar John M. , Allen David J. , Allen Gerald R. , Amori Giovanni , Ananjeva Natalia B. , Andreone Franco , Andrew Paul , Ortiz Aida Luz Aquino , Baillie Jonathan E. M. , Baldi Ricardo , Bell Ben D. , Biju S. D. , Bird Jeremy P. , Black-Decima Patricia , Blanc J. Julian , Bolaños Federico , Bolivar-G. Wilmar , Burfield Ian J. , Burton James A. , Capper David R. , Castro Fernando , Catullo Gianluca , Cavanagh Rachel D. , Channing Alan , Chao Ning Labbish , Chenery Anna M. , Chiozza Federica , Clausnitzer Viola , Collar Nigel J. , Collett Leah C. , Collette Bruce B. , Fernandez Claudia F. Cortez , Craig Matthew T. , Crosby Michael J. , Cumberlidge Neil , Cuttelod Annabelle , Derocher Andrew E. , Diesmos Arvin C. , Donaldson John S. , Duckworth J. W. , Dutson Guy , Dutta S. K. , Emslie Richard H. , Farjon Aljos , Fowler Sarah , Freyhof Jörg , Garshelis David L. , Gerlach Justin , Gower David J. , Grant Tandora D. , Hammerson Geoffrey A. , Harris Richard B. , Heaney Lawrence R. , Hedges S. Blair , Hero Jean-Marc , Hughes Baz , Hussain Syed Ainul , Icochea M. Javier , Inger Robert F. , Ishii Nobuo , Iskandar Djoko T. , Jenkins Richard K. B. , Kaneko Yoshio , Kottelat Maurice , Kovacs Kit M. , Kuzmin Sergius L. , La Marca Enrique , Lamoreux John F. , Lau Michael W. N. , Lavilla Esteban O. , Leus Kristin , Lewison Rebecca L. , Lichtenstein Gabriela , Livingstone Suzanne R. , Lukoschek Vimoksalehi , Mallon David P. , McGowan Philip J. K. , McIvor Anna , Moehlman Patricia D. , Molur Sanjay , Alonso Antonio Muñoz , Musick John A. , Nowell Kristin , Nussbaum Ronald A. , Olech Wanda , Orlov Nikolay L. , Papenfuss Theodore J. , Parra-Olea Gabriela , Perrin William F. , Polidoro Beth A. , Pourkazemi Mohammad , Racey Paul A. , Ragle James S. , Ram Mala , Rathbun Galen , Reynolds Robert P. , Rhodin Anders G. J. , Richards Stephen J. , Rodríguez Lily O. , Ron Santiago R. , Rondinini Carlo , Rylands Anthony B. , Sadovy de Mitcheson Yvonne , Sanciangco Jonnell C. , Sanders Kate L. , Santos-Barrera Georgina , Schipper Jan , Self-Sullivan Caryn , Shi Yichuan , Shoemaker Alan , Short Frederick T. , Sillero-Zubiri Claudio , Silvano Débora L. , Smith Kevin G. , Smith Andrew T. , Snoeks Jos , Stattersfield Alison J. , Symes Andrew J. , Taber Andrew B. , Talukdar Bibhab K. , Temple Helen J. , Timmins Rob , Tobias Joseph A. , Tsytsulina Katerina , Tweddle Denis , Ubeda Carmen , Valenti Sarah V. , Paul van Dijk Peter , Veiga Liza M. , Veloso Alberto , Wege David C. , Wilkinson Mark , Williamson Elizabeth A. , Xie Feng , Young Bruce E. , Akçakaya H. Resit , Bennun Leon , Blackburn Tim M. , Boitani Luigi , Dublin Holly T. , da Fonseca Gustavo A. B. , Gascon Claude , Lacher Thomas E. , Mace Georgina M. , Mainka Susan A. , McNeely Jeffery A. , Mittermeier Russell A. , Reid Gordon McGregor , Rodriguez Jon Paul , Rosenberg Andrew A. , Samways Michael J. , Smart Jane , Stein Bruce A. , Stuart Simon N. 
Published: October 2010

Assessing Biodiversity Declines

Understanding human impact on biodiversity depends on sound quantitative projection.

Pereira
et al.

(p.
1496
, published online 26 October) review quantitative scenarios that have been developed for four main areas of concern: species extinctions, species abundances and community structure, habitat loss and degradation, and shifts in the distribution of species and biomes. Declines in biodiversity are projected for the whole of the 21st century in all scenarios, but with a wide range of variation.

Hoffmann
et al.

(p.
1503
, published online 26 October) draw on the results of five decades' worth of data collection, managed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission. A comprehensive synthesis of the conservation status of the world's vertebrates, based on an analysis of 25,780 species (approximately half of total vertebrate diversity), is presented: Approximately 20% of all vertebrate species are at risk of extinction in the wild, and 11% of threatened birds and 17% of threatened mammals have moved closer to extinction over time. Despite these trends, overall declines would have been significantly worse in the absence of conservation actions.