21 species were declared extinct and removed from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) list in 2023. This stresses the imperative need for conservation, drawing attention to the accelerating rate of species loss. The situation serves as a wake-up call for prioritising wildlife conservation before it becomes too late. As the ESA marks its 50th year, the focus remains on preventing extinction and achieving species recovery to eliminate the need for ongoing protection.
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As we respire in a modernised society with technological advancements and some apparent societal progress, there are still silent crises that represent an inescapable truth for every endangered animal hovering on the verge of extinction. Each extinct species tells a story of adaptation, survival, and, ultimately, a tragic epilogue. The thought of future generations growing up in a world where the majority of species exist only in history books is a glaring nudge that there is a part of our ecosystem that will always be deficient and in disequilibrium.
In recent years, scientists have raised alarms about the one million species of plants and animals that are currently at risk of disappearing. A 2019 report stated that the current rate of species loss is increasing at a pace tens or hundreds of times greater than historical rates. The exigency dwells not just in the numbers but in the ticking clock that is tied to them. Over 500,000 land species have “insufficient habitat for long-term survival” and are predisposed to extinction. This is contingent on whether concerted efforts will be made to restore and preserve habitats.
In October 2023, 21 species were removed from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) list as they became extinct. The majority of these species were included in the ESA in the 1970s and 1980s, with extremely small populations or probable extinction by the time they were listed.
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The decision to delist these species was not made lightly. Upon carrying out painstaking assessments using the “rigorous reviews of the best available science” for each species, the US Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that these species are extinct and should be delisted from the ESA. Despite earnest efforts to reverse the situation, federal protection “came too late,” as the inevitable passage of time also continued without mercy.
“The 21 species extinctions highlight the importance of the ESA and efforts to conserve species before declines become irreversible. The circumstances of each also underscore how human activity can drive species decline and extinction by contributing to habitat loss, overuse, and the introduction of invasive species and diseases,” the official announcement on the US Fish and Wildlife Service reads.
| Mammals | – Little Mariana fruit bat (Found at Guam) |
| Birds | – Bachman’s warbler (Found in Florida, South Carolina) – Bridled white-eye (Found in Florida) – Kauai akialoa (Found in Hawaii) – Kauai nukupuu (Found in Hawaii) – Kauaʻi ʻōʻō (Found in Hawaii) – Large Kauai thrush (Found in Hawaii) – Maui ākepa (Found in Hawaii) – Maui nukupuʻu (Found in Hawaii) – Molokai creeper (Found in Hawaii) – Po`ouli (Found in Hawaii) |
| Fish | – San Marcos gambusia (Found in Texas) – Scioto madtom (Found in Ohio) |
| Mussel | – Flat pigtoe (Found in Alabama, Mississippi) |
In September 2021, the US Fish and Wildlife Service originally proposed the delisting. However, the initial proposal involves the removal of 23 species from the ESA. After receiving public input on the suggested regulation, the Service has decided to retract the proposal to remove the endangered status of a particular species, namely, a perennial herb native to Hawaii (Phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis). The agency also continues to scrutinise and evaluate another bird included in the initial proposal, the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis).
The situation serves as a “wake-up call on the importance of conserving imperilled species before it’s too late,” as asserted by Service Director Martha Williams.
“As we commemorate 50 years of the Endangered Species Act this year, we are reminded of the Act’s purpose to be a safety net that stops the journey toward extinction. The ultimate goal is to recover these species, so they no longer need the Act’s protection.”
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