The estimated cost of preventing extinction and progressing recovery for Australia's priority threatened species.

ABSTRACT: The global extinction crisis is intensifying rapidly, driven by habitat loss, overexploitation, climate change, invasive species, and disease. This unprecedented loss of species not only threatens ecological integrity but also undermines ecosystem services vital for human survival. In response, many countries have set ambitious conservation targets such as halting species extinctions, yet the necessary financial commitments to achieve this are rarely prescribed. Estimating costs can be achieved using an ensemble of spatially variable species-specific cost models for threat abatement activities. We employ this method to provide a cost assessment to halt extinctions for Australia's priority terrestrial and freshwater species. We show that it will cost ~AUD15.6 billion/year for 30 y to halt e

SUBMITTER: Ward M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11831134 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature