Rising Mammal Extinction Rate Primarily Driven by Humans

(University of Fribourg, September 04, 2020)

After having compiled and analyzed fossil data for 351 species of extinct mammals, University of Fribourg Professor Daniele Silvestro and Tobias Andermann of the University of Gothenburg recently published a study that suggests that humankind has had a much greater influence on biodiversity than climate change, even when compared to temperature variations as great as those of the last Ice Age. While most previous studies focused on one region and certain species, this one considered all continents and all extinct mammals, including many rodents, and used an advanced modelling procedure to disentangle the effects of humans and climate and test their respective influences. However, despite the bleak prospects, the authors remain adamant that hundreds of species can still be saved from extinction with “more targeted and efficient conservation strategies."