We humans would eliminate more than twice More bird species than previously thought, especially some 1,430 species. These data, calculated with mathematical models and published today in an article in the journal Nature Communicationexplores the true extent of global extinctions caused by humans.
Observations and fossils so far have shown that approximately 600 bird species have become extinct since the end of the Pleistocene (the period when humans began to spread around the world), 90 percent of which were on human-inhabited islands. These species range from the iconic Mauritius dodo to the North Atlantic great auk. There are more recent examples. This is true for birds in the Canary Islands, such as the monochrome oystercatcher in the Canary Islands (Haematopus meadewaldoi) or Triassic greenfinch (Carduelis triasis) and from the Balearic Islands, for example the Ibiza railway (Rallus eivissensis).
With this paper and the statistical models developed, researchers estimate the actual figure to be slightly more than double: 1,430 species became extinct; about 11 percent of all bird species currently available.
A few years ago most of the world’s islands These were oases of pristine nature, but the arrival of humans in remote places such as Hawaii, Tonga and the Azores, and islands such as the Canaries or the Balearic Islands, Far-reaching effects spanning many years. These include deforestation on the islands, overhunting and the introduction of invasive species. As a result, many bird species have become extinct in these island areas.
This disappearance of birds has been documented since the 1500s Because before that moment, our knowledge of the fate of species was based only on fossil remains, but there is still much to be discovered. Without fossils, the true extent of extinctions remains unexplored, and the information we have is highly uneven in different parts of the world.
Now, a research team led by the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), joined by CREAF, statistical models to estimate how many undiscovered birds have gone extinct throughout modern human history (since the Late Pleistocene, about 130,000 years ago).
The research team used the data we know about extinctions and extrapolated them to find out how many more species might go extinct if the study were as large as the one done in New Zealand. This country is the only corner of the world where the avian fauna before the arrival of humans is believed to be fully documented and has well-preserved remains of all the birds that lived here.
Causes of extinction
UKCEH modeler Rob Cooke says: “Humans have rapidly decimated bird populations through habitat degradation, overexploitation, and the introduction of mice, pigs, and dogs. Those who hunt bird nests on islands where there were no predators before. “Many species became extinct before written records and left no trace.”
CREAF researcher and study co-author Ferran Sayol adds: “These historic extinctions could have major consequences For the functioning of ecosystems. Not only has the world lost a large number of unique bird species, but the essential functions these birds perform will also be lost. For example, loss of seed dispersal or pollination “It has harmful knock-on effects on other species and the entire ecosystem.”
In total, we know of 3 extinctions in Spain from the Balearic Islands (all in Ibiza) and 10 from the Canary Islands. The model presented in the article predicts that there may be 3 more extinctions in the Balearic Islands and 8 more extinctions that we do not know about in the Canary Islands.
Three major mass extinctions
Scientists say their work reveals some of the largest human-caused vertebrate extinction events in history. The first is what occurred in the Eastern Pacific (including the Hawaiian Islands) in the 14th century. 570 bird species became extinct after humans first arrived, almost 100 times the natural extinction rate.
The second occurred in the 9th century BC, mainly with the arrival of humans in the Western Pacific (including the Fiji Islands). Finally, they emphasize that: The extinction event we are experiencing now, which started in the mid-18th century.
Since then, along with increasing deforestation and the spread of invasive species, birds have faced additional human-caused threats such as climate change, intensive agriculture and pollution. This ongoing crisis is predicted to exceed the extinction event of the 14th century, with the risk of losing up to 700 bird species in the next few hundred years.
Ferran Sayol concludes: “Despite the tragedy that species loss represents, there is still hope. “Recent conservation actions have borne fruit and saved some species, such as the Mauritius kestrel and the California condor, and we have the opportunity to intensify efforts to protect the habitats of many birds and prevent future extinctions to maintain the proper functioning of ecosystems.”
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