Extinction more likely, but at least we’re conserving the right places

The extinction threat for many of the world’s undiscovered species is worse than previously feared, according to a new report.

“We show that the majority of the world’s ‘missing species’ are hiding away on some of the most threatened landscapes in the world,” say researchers from Duke University. “This considerably increases the number of threatened and endangered species around the world.”

Conservation biologists want to identify areas around the world where effective conservation actions could save the most species. Biodiversity hotspots—places with extreme rates of habitat loss as well as unusually high numbers of endemic species—are priorities.

The problem is that knowledge of species is seriously incomplete—many species are as-yet unknown.