Leaving extinction behind

A California condor couple appears to be tending an egg in the wild in Northern California for the first time in over a century. The species has been nursed back from the brink of extinction to about 600 birds, nearly two thirds now in the wild. River otters have made a significant comeback throughout the Great Lakes region after nearly disappearing in the 1970s. Eastern Australian humpback whale numbers now far surpass those seen before commercial whaling. American crocodiles are bouncing back and repopulating their territory in Florida. Puffins have returned to Northern Ireland’s Isle of Muck for the first time this century. Jaguars are bouncing back in Mexico. In the US, gray wolves, pumas, black bears, and grizzlies have all significantly expanded their population and range in recent decades.

For nearly a century, bay scallops had disappeared from Virginia waters. Now they’re booming and doubling their population every 18 months.

Yes, extinctions are still happening at a fast clip, but a study last year of the past 500 years found that extinction rates peaked over a century ago and have been slowing down decade by decade.

The Sixth Great Extinction to sweep the planet is forecast to be human-caused. But humans keep demonstrating that they can in fact learn and change course.

Sources: Smithsonian; Annual Reviews; The Guardian; Rewilding Magazine; Virginia Institute of Marine Science; Human Progress; World Wildlife Fund; BBC