USA: 23 Species Declared Extinct
The ivory-billed woodpecker and 22 other species are now officially declared extinct in the USA. A dramatic loss for biodiversity.
The ivory-billed woodpecker, the Bachman's warbler, and 21 other species have been classified as extinct by the American Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as of 29 September 2021.
The Interior Department agency in Washington removed the species from the list of endangered species after they had not been sighted for decades.
Around 900 Species Removed Worldwide
The Fish and Wildlife Service cited water pollution, deforestation, and trophy hunting as reasons for the extinctions. Since the signing of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, the United States had previously declared only eleven species extinct. Worldwide, approximately 900 species have been removed from such lists to date.
Conservation organisations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature, headquartered in Switzerland, warned against premature declarations of extinction.
«"Extinction is not inevitable. It is a political choice. Saving species is not rocket science. As a country, we need to stand up and say we will not lose any more species to extinction", said Tiera Curry, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity.
