On the Brink of Extinct: These Are the Fastest Declining Species in the World

calendar_today January 26, 2022
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Extinction is a global crisis. 

Poaching often makes headlines, but habitat loss and environmental pollution are also major killers. Climate change could also cause as many as one in six of the planet’s species to be lost forever to extinction if the world fails to take action, according to a study.

There are 17 animals on the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) critically endangered list, including three species of rhino, six primates, and two big cats.

Five of the species on the list have approximately 100 animals or less left on the planet, including the Saola, of which there are only around 20 still roaming the mountains of the Vietnam-Laos border. Over on the other side of the globe, the Vaquita is also on the verge of extinction – a porpoise found only in the northern Gulf of California with numbers now as low as 10. 

At Volunteering Solutions, we are committed to supporting projects and communities around the world and some of the most important programmes that we offer are those relating to animal care and conservation. Whether it be supporting the wildlife in the Bornean rainforest, protecting the habitats of sea turtles in Zanzibar, or conserving marine and coral reefs in Bali.

Whilst all of the species on the WWF’s critically endangered list are exactly that, critically endangered, some of them are quickly on their way to becoming completely extinct, and we wanted to know which. 

Species On The Brink Of Being Extinct Blog

Our team at Volunteering Solutions has gone through the official list and compared historical and current figures to find out which species are reducing in numbers the quickest – have a look at the results below…

1. Saola

One of the most recently discovered large mammals, the Saola has only been known to scientists for 30 years. The unique horns of the Saola were spotted in the houses of local hunters in Laos and Vietnam, which led to an investigation into the animal and the areas in which it lives. 

Although only recognised in recent years, the unique species is decreasing at a rate of 80% every decade, meaning that it is estimated that the Saola will be completely extinct by 2050. There were thought to be as many as 1,000 animals in the 1990s, but the population was slashed by 80% by the millennium and numbers have dwindled to around 20 today.

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2. Vaquita

Vaquita is a Spanish word that means “little cow,” which hints at its extremely small size compared to other porpoise species. Many animals have been lost due to being caught in illegal nets designed to trap other aquatic species. Aside from being by-catch in fishing nets, the species are at risk due to exposure to pollution and disruption of the local food supply.

The Vaquita is the smallest marine mammal in the ocean, but it won’t be for much longer. Decreasing at a rate of 75.9% every decade, the vaquita is estimated to be completely extinct by 2050. The fact that Vaquitas are relatively slow to reproduce is another factor in this, with females only giving birth every other year.

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3. Cross River Gorilla

The Cross River Gorilla is the most endangered Great Ape. And whilst there are thought to be around 300 of them in the wild today, it is likely that this number will dwindle to as low as 35 by 2050, with it decreasing at a rate of 51.3% every decade. 

The endangered Great Ape faces a lot of threats – including crocodiles, large jungle cats, and humans who have hunted them extensively over the years. Deforestation also poses a big threat as the species inhabit the mountainous forests of Nigeria and Cameroon. 

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4. African Forest Elephant

One of two elephant sub-species on the African continent, the African Forest Elephant is the slightly smaller of the two and is distinct from the African Bush Elephant by rounder ears, straighter tusks, and more toenails. Although growing to a height of around 24 feet, it is saddening that the population of the species does not reach the same heights.

In the 1980s, there were thought to be around 380,000 animals roaming the forests and savannah of Africa, but this is thought to dwindle to around 14,000 by 2050, as the species is decreasing at a rate of 47.4% every decade.

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5. Sumatran Rhino

Covered with long hair, the Sumatran Rhino is more closely related to the woolly rhinos that became extinct 8,000 years ago than any of the other rhino species alive today. The hairy species is also by far the smallest rhinoceros still alive, weighing just a quarter of white rhinos on average.

Sadly, it looks like the Sumatran Rhino will soon be joining its furry cousins, with the current population of 80 predicted to decrease to around 22 by 2050 and be completely extinct by 2130.

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6. Yangtze Finless Porpoise

The longest river in Asia, the Yangtze River, used to be one of the only two rivers in the world that was home to two different species of dolphin – the Yangtze Finless Porpoise and the Baiji Dolphin. However, in 2006 the Baiji Dolphin was declared functionally extinct. This was the first time in history that an entire species of dolphin had been wiped off the planet because of human activity. 

The Yangtze Finless Porpoise, known for its mischievous smile and intelligence, is not far from joining its close cousin, with less than 300 animals predicted to exist in 2050 – a sharp decrease from the 2700 animals that existed in the 1990s.

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8. Eastern Lowland Gorilla

Residing in the tropical rainforest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, today the Eastern Lowland Gorillas occupy only 13% of their former geographic range. Their stronghold, Kahuzi-Biega National Park, is under severe threat from poachers, and people have moved into the park in order to mine an alloy used for mobile phones, which has resulted in forests being cleared for farming. 

This explains why the 1990’s population of 17,000 is just 6,800 today. The number did dwindle to under 4,000 according to a study in 2016 but more recent figures include data from the Oku community forests in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which could not be surveyed previously due to security issues. Despite this slight increase in numbers, the Eastern Lowland Gorilla is still decreasing at a rate of 24% every decade, meaning an estimated number of 2,985 by 2050.

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8. Bornean Orangutan

Endemic to the island of Borneo, the Bornean Orangutan spends most of its time swinging from the canopies so it is no surprise that deforestation across the country has been a major threat to the species. WWF reported that over 43 million hectares were lost in the deforestation fronts between 2004 and 2017, an area roughly twice the size of the United Kingdom (UK).

Having a population of around 150,000 in the 1980s, the Bornean Orangutan species has decreased by around 100,000 with current totals predicted at 57,000. It is estimated that there will only be 29,504 animals in 2050 with the species decreasing at a rate of 19.7% each decade on average. 

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9. Sumatran Elephant

In 2012, the Sumatran elephant was changed from “Endangered” to “Critically Endangered”, something that is largely due to habitat loss and a result of human-elephant conflict. In Sumatra’s Riau province, pulp and paper industries and oil palm plantations have caused some of the world’s most rapid rates of deforestation. Unfortunately, this means that elephants often come across human settlements where they raid crops, trample homes and sometimes even hurt locals; those affected have been known to retaliate.

As a result, Sumatra’s Lampung province has seen its number of elephant herds decline from twelve in the 1980s to only three in 2002. Just two of the remaining herds are considered biologically viable. Decreasing at a rate of 19.2% every decade, the species is predicted to have a population of less than 791 by 2050.

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10. Sunda Tiger

The Sunda Tiger, more commonly known as the Sumatran Tiger, is found in Sumatra, Indonesia. The species, which became isolated from mainland tigers thousands of years ago by a rise in sea levels, is severely threatened by poaching as its body parts are valued and often used in traditional Chinese medicine. 

The population has also been hit hard by habitat loss, with many Indonesian rainforests being taken over by palm oil plantations. These not only destroy habitats but also causes the Sunda Tiger to lose food sources. Many of the 470 remaining Sumatran Tigers live in protected areas, such as national parks, but decreasing at a rate of 18.8% every decade, it is estimated that the species will total around 250 by 2050.

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Methodology

In order to analyse this data, we looked at WWF’s Species Directory and compiled a list of those considered ‘critically endangered’. We then scoured various credible sources (a mixture of conservation, charity, and research reports) and found population data across the decades to the 1980s. 

We then calculated, using this data, what the population of each of these species is likely to be in 2050 if the rate continues as it currently is.

We omitted four critically endangered species from the data: Hawksbill Turtle, Orangutan, Sumatran Orangutan, and Western Lowland Gorilla – on the basis that we were not able to find sufficient data.

 

Source List : AnimalInfo, Wikipedia, ProjectArkFoundation, Rewild Organization, WWF, Apes Portal, etc.

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