A Team of Australian scientists has developed a world-first index to determine how close species are to extinction, and it is hoped it could help save some animal populations from disappearing.
Corey Bradshaw, the director of ecological modelling at Adelaide University's Environmental Institute, said the Species Ability to Forestall Extinction index -- or SAFE -- showed how close species were to the minimum number needed to survive.
Working on the theory that species required about 5000 animals to survive, Professor Bradshaw said if populations were vastly lower, there was a heightened risk of extinction.
Professor Bradshaw said the causes of population decline were not usually the same as the reasons why species became extinct. Some species had seen massive declines because of land clearing or climate change, and others were in decline because of hunting and over-exploitation, such as the bush meat trade.
Working with researchers from James Cook University, in north Queensland, Professor Bradshaw and his team looked at 95 species of mammals from around the world, and found that almost 20 per cent were close to extinction.
More about the extinction index.
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